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MEMORIAL ATICLE
Published Assembly May '93
Benjamin Wall Kernan No. 15759 Class of 1946 Died
9 November 1948 near South Vienna, Ohio. Internment: Fort Sam
Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas
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BENJAMIN WALL (BEN) KERNAN was born 20 March 1926 at
Fort Sill, Oklahoma: His father was a career Army officer, so
Ben spent his youth moving around the world with his family.
His father was assigned to Corregidor in the Philippine Islands
from 1936 to 1939. A classmate, Gunnar Andersson, was on
Corregidor at the same time and recalled: "Ben's dad was
a major in the Coast Artillery Corps then; my dad was Captain
of Engineers. The two fathers arranged a hunting trip on the
island of Busawonga, some days sailing south of Manila Bay, and
took Ben and me along. They were hunting a type of buffalo called
Tamarov. This involved renting a coconut trawler to sail
south to the island, then a ride into the jungle on the backs
of 'tame' water buffalo. Ben and I spent several nights in a
Nipa hut, telling ghost stories and scaring ourselves with the
rustle of the jungle outside while our fathers did their thing
(no success). On the return trip, we were becalmed within sight
of Corregidor for three days but could only drift in and out
on the tide. Ben had, sometime in the past.-been kicked in the
head by a mule, which left a very distinctive scar on the back
of his head. I never saw him again after we left Corregidor until
plebe year. During the first week of plebe year, we were double
timing across the Plain when I noticed the back of the head on
the plebe in front of me and then I said 'Benjamin Wall,' he
turned and it was he."
One of Ben's teachers at the American School on Corregidor
was Mrs. Miriam Keller, wife of BG George Keller, Jr., USA, Retired
(USMA 1929). Mrs. Keller recalled: "Ben was small and quiet
and to me very appealing, as he was far more perceptive than
he first appeared. He is intelligent but never showed off. He
had a neat sense of humor and saw beneath the surface. We came
to Corregidor on the same transport, and he took a picture of
me once as I sat disconsolately on the deck, alone and hating
the sea and wishing the twenty-two-day trip was over... He did
not know who I was and was just taking me as an example a sad
sailor...but after he had been in my class for a while he showed
me the picture with some amusement, as he had stuck it into his
album with a very complimentary inscription. I taught him both
years we were on Corregidor and found him always a pleasure.
When my husband was teaching math at West Point, Ben came in
as a plebe; and when a niece of my husband came to visit, we
made her a date with Ben. He was not a ladies' man, but to me
he was always very attractive." When World War II broke
out, Ben moved to Pass Christian, Mississippi, near Biloxi, with
his mother and sister. He attended Biloxi High School through
his junior year and then attended Marion Institute in Marion,
Alabama to get ready for West Point. He took and passed the exam
for a Presidential Appointment and entered West Point I July
1943, a member he Class of 1946.
Life as a cadet was full of enjoyment for Ben. One of
his roommates, Jim Fuller, remembered: "Ben was one of the
youngest in our class and was only 17 when he entered the Academy.
During his first two years, he grew two inches and became the
tallest man in A-2 Company. Ben tolerated military discipline
but delighted in plotting ways that he might outwit the tactical
officers and the Academy system. He was slugged during yearling
year when his plot to skip tactics class and play polo was discovered.
Another plot that was foiled was his application to attend Jewish
Chapel so that he could play polo on Sunday mornings. His application
to convert to the Jewish religion was rejected for having insufficiently
sincere religious beliefs. Ben's main interest was to graduate
with wings and to become an Air Corps officer. He studied enough
to stay in the middle of the class academically but probably
correctly believed that success as an officer did not depend
on academic rank (he graduated number 473). He was a quick study
and would usually complete the night's studying in time to write
a letter to his current girlfriend (of which there were plenty).
His big interest was polo, and he played every opportunity that
was available during yearling and first class years." Ben
also was a mule rider at Army home football games. His other
cadet activities reflected his love of the outdoors. He was a
member of the Skeet Club all three years and the Fishing Club
his last two years. He began the realization of his dream to
fly when he signed up for Air Cadet Training in 1944. At graduation,
Ben proudly pinned on the wings and gold bars of a second lieutenant
in the Army Air Corps.
Following graduation leave, Ben reported to Williams
Field, Arizona for transition training in the P-51 aircraft.
When his Arizona training was complete, Ben was assigned to Bergstrom
Field, Austin, Texas. He later was selected to attend the Air
Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio.
On 9 November 1948, Ben was on a routine flight in a P-51, just
25 miles from Wright Patterson when the right wing came off his
plane. The plane crashed, and Ben was killed instantly. He was
survived by his parents, Colonel and Mrs. Harold Kernan, and
a sister.
Ben Kernan was just beginning his career as an Air Force
officer. His future was bright, and he was bringing his considerable
talents together to accomplish much in his chosen field. No one
will ever know what he might have accomplished had he not been
taken from his family and friends so early in life. He was an
independent thinker, not one of the crowd. He was the type officer
his country needed, one with new and fresh ideas to get things
done in creative and innovative ways. One thing is for sure.
Ben Keman was a patriot and a credit to the Air Force and to
West Point. His time on earth was short, but he leaves behind
many friends who are proud to have known Ben. The Class of 1946
remembers him fondly and with pride states: "Well Done,
Ben; Be Thou At Peace."
'46 Memorial Project
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