Lieutenant Karl Wendell Kirchwey Jr, A Sailor's Story
Lieutenant Karl Wendell Kirchwey Jr, A Sailor's Story
Lieutenant Junior Grade Karl Wendell Kirchwey Jr. was born on July 21, 1921, in Brooklyn, New York. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy before enrolling at Harvard University, where he studied history and became a member of the Class of 1942.
As the United States became increasingly involved in World War II, Kirchwey chose to serve. He enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve in September 1942 and entered flight training, preparing for the demanding and dangerous work of a naval aviator.
Kirchwey was called to active duty in June 1943. After earning his wings, he was assigned to Fighting Squadron Ten, known as the "Grim Reapers," aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Flying the F6F Hellcat, he joined one of the Navy's most experienced carrier air groups in the Pacific.
From the deck of the Enterprise, Kirchwey took part in air operations across the Pacific. His squadron supported American campaigns through the Marshall and Caroline Islands and near Hollandia, New Guinea, as Allied forces continued their advance toward Japan.
In June 1944, the Enterprise joined the massive American operation against Saipan in the Mariana Islands. Control of Saipan was strategically important because the island could provide airfields within striking distance of the Japanese home islands.
On June 15, 1944—the first day of the American landings on Saipan—Kirchwey took off as part of a strike against Japanese positions on the island. The Enterprise launched repeated missions to attack enemy aircraft, antiaircraft defenses, coastal guns, and other positions threatening the troops going ashore.
During the mission, Kirchwey’s aircraft was struck and went down in the waters near Saipan. Contemporary accounts indicate that he may have been hit by Japanese antiaircraft fire, although the possibility of accidental fire from an American ship has also been raised. He was 22 years old. His body was never recovered.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Kirchwey was initially listed as missing in action and was later declared dead. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency records him as a nonrecoverable casualty of the Mariana Islands campaign.
Because he has no known grave, Karl Wendell Kirchwey Jr. is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Hawaii. His name is also carved into the World War II Memorial at Harvard’s Memorial Church, alongside the names of the university's former students who gave their lives during the war.
Lieutenant Junior Grade Karl Wendell Kirchwey Jr. left the safety of home and the promise of a future beyond college to serve as a naval aviator. He flew from the deck of the USS Enterprise during one of the most consequential campaigns of the Pacific War and gave his life while supporting the liberation of Saipan.
His remains were never brought home, but his name and sacrifice endure.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
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