Col. Kenneth L. Reusser passes

I first read about Col. Kenneth L. Reusser at a certain “smart military blog” that you might know. As I read the story linked at Ace, my mouth hung open – the guy had to be a fake. Ms. Malkin wrote about him the other day, so there had to be something to these stories.

But they have two of his Navy Cross citations at Military Times. The AP got the story about the Japanese recon flight a little wrong;

Captain Reusser skillfully maneuvered his plane to enable a friendly aircraft to make a close-range attack. When the guns of his wingman failed, he flew with his wingtip obstructing the Japanese pilot’s evasionary tactics and, by allowing the wingman the opportunity of running his propeller over the tail surface of the hostile ship, contributed in large measure to the eventual crash of the enemy craft.

Here’s the citation for his Navy Cross during the Korean War;

As Flight Leader of a Combat Air Patrol assigned the mission of seeking targets of opportunity, Major Reusser led his flight in a strafing attack against a hostile factory, destroying several vehicles and 30 of the enemy in a truck despite intense and accurate hostile anti-aircraft fire. Suspecting that the strong defenses protected vehicles of war, he ordered his flight to orbit the target at 3000 feet while he investigated the factory at window-level and, on his second pass made in the face of automatic fire coming from the windows, discovered that the factory was a vehicle and tank assembly plant. With both wings of his plane damaged by anti-aircraft fire, he flew back to the U.S.S. SICILY and returned to the target with napalm and rockets, destroying the plant with napalm and blasting six completed enemy tanks and four trucks in the factory courtyard in spite of accurate anti-aircraft fire. This mission completed, he led his flight into the heavily fortified Inch’on Harbor and destroyed a large oil storage tank. Determined to inflict the greatest possible damage on the enemy even though his heavy ordinance was expended, he dived to within ten feet of a camouflaged oil tanker and raked the hull with his 20-mm guns, causing an explosion which not only destroyed the enemy ship, but also damaged his own craft and blew it out of control.

He was shot down 5 times in 3 wars. Once as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. 59 medals – including four Purple Hearts.

He passed away June 20th. I think the best tribute to him is at Ace;

… Well-wishers are advised: “In lieu of flowers, his will suggests you get a hair-cut, straighten your shit out, and stop being such a queerbait all the time.” … A delegation of Japanese WWII vets attended his funeral to honor a fallen former enemy; there were no survivors…

I’ll bet Death took a serious ass-whipping reaping that soul.

Category: Blue Skies