Ira Laffayete Kimes (August 8, 1899 - February 3, 1949) was a highly decorated

naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

with the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. He is most noted for his service as commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 22 during the

Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under Adm ...

, for which he received the

Navy Distinguished Service Medal The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919 and is presented to sailors and Marines to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritoriou ...

Early life

Kimes was born on August 8, 1899, in

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is a city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census, and 6,827 at the 2010 census. A census estimate from 2018 showed 7,017. History Fayetteville is the largest cit ...

, but his family moved to Hunnewell, Missouri, where he attended high school. He then accepted appointment to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, and graduated with bachelor's degree on June 7, 1923. While at the academy, Kimes was a member of the rifle team and was designated expert rifleman. Many of his classmates became general officers later:

Arleigh Burke Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kenne ...

, Harry D. Felt,

Merrill B. Twining General Merrill Barber Twining (November 28, 1902 – May 11, 1996) was a United States Marine Corps general who received a List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals#Tombstone generals, "tombstone promotion" to four-star general upon r ...

, Charles F. Coe,

John B. Moss John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Frederick Moosbrugger Frederick Moosbrugger (9 October 1900 – 1 October 1974) was an officer of the United States Navy eventually attaining the rank of vice admiral. He is best known for his service in World War II as a highly successful commander of destroyer squadr ...

, Stanhope C. Ring, Thomas B. Williamson, William D. Anderson, Murr E. Arnold,

John G. Crommelin Rear Admiral (United States), Rear Admiral John Geraerdt Crommelin Jr. (2 October 1902 – 2 November 1996) was a prominent United States Navy, American naval officer and later a frequent politician, political candidate who championed white su ...

Paul F. Dugan Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, George F. Good Jr., William H. Hamilton, Francis M. Hughes, Joseph L. Kane,

William G. Manley William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, Henry G. Moran, Richard M. Oliver, Edwin R. Peck,

John V. Peterson John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

William T. Rassieur William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

William J. Scheyer William John Scheyer (March 6, 1900 – May 14, 1956) was a decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps, who reached the rank of major general. He is most noted as executive officer and later commanding officer of the 9th Defense Battalio ...

Francis E. Shoup Jr. Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) Places *Rural M ...

, Curtis S. Smiley, Frederick C. Stelter Jr., Frank D. Weir, Ralph W.D. Woods, Howard L. Young,

Richard M. Cutts Jr. Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

, Samuel G. Fuqua,

Merlin F. Schneider Merlin Frederick Schneider (February 22, 1901 – November 15, 1970) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted as commanding officer of 22nd Marine Regiment during the ...

, Frank H. Lamson-Scribner or Henry A. Schade. At the time of his graduation, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Marine Corps and sent to the Basic School at Philadelphia Navy Yard for further officer's training. Kimes completed his training and served on the various stations in the United States until December 1925. He subsequently sailed for

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

as a member of 1st Marine Brigade under Brigadier General John T. Myers and took part in the skirmishes against Cacos bandits. Kimes remained in the Caribbean until April 1927, and following his return he applied for aviation training. He was ordered to the Naval Air Station Pensacola,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, and after one year of instruction, Kimes was designated

Naval aviator Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...

on April 30, 1928. He was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in July of that year. He returned to Haiti in 1932 and served as operations and communications officer with Aircraft Squadron until summer 1933. Kimes was decorated with the Haitian National Order of Honour and Merit, rank Chevalier by the Government of Haiti for his service in that country. Following his return stateside in August 1933, he was commended by the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

Claude A. Swanson Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befor ...

, for achieving the highest machine gun score for Marine Corps shore-based observation and fighting plane squadrons. He was promoted to the rank of captain in April 1935 and ordered to the Junior course at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. Kimes was ordered to the Air Corps Tactical School at

Maxwell Field Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, in September 1937 and graduated in June 1938. He was promoted to the rank of major in July 1939 and assumed command of Utility Squadron 1-M at

Turner Field Turner Field was a baseball stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia. From 1997 to 2016, it served as the home ballpark to the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996 to serve as the c ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and remained in this capacity until summer 1940.

World War II

Kimes was appointed commanding officer of Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 232 in July 1940 at

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and moved with his unit to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

in January 1941 with the increasing tensions in the Pacific. He was present at

Marine Corps Air Station Ewa Marine Corps Air Station Ewa (MCAS Ewa) was a United States Marine Corps air station that was located west of Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The base was hit during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later served as the hub for all Mar ...

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December of that year. Kimes participated in the defense of the Ewa Field and was transferred to

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

to assume command of Marine Aircraft Group 22. While in this capacity, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in May 1942. He led his aircraft group during the

at the beginning of June 1942 and distinguished himself during the defense of the atoll. Kimes subsequently received the

. His official Navy Distinguished Service Medal reads: Following his promotion to colonel in December 1942, Kimes was ordered to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and appointed executive officer of the Division of Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps. He served under directors of marine aviation – major generals

Ralph J. Mitchell Ralph Johnson Mitchell (September 25, 1891 – May 31, 1970) was a decorated aviation officer of the United States. He is most noted for his service as Director of Aviation during the years 1939–1943 and commanding officer of the 1st Marine A ...

and Roy S. Geiger – until he was transferred to command of

Marine Corps Air Station, Quantico Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico (MCAF Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps airfield located within Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. It was commissioned in 1919 and is currently home to HMX-1, the squadron that flies the President of ...

at the beginning of October 1943. Kimes was transferred to the retired list due to failing health on February 1, 1945, and was advanced to the rank of

on the retired list for having been specially commended in combat. Kimes died on February 3, 1949, and is buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Decorations

Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Ira L. Kimes:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kimes, Ira L. 1899 births 1949 deaths People from Fayetteville, Tennessee United States Naval Academy alumni Air Corps Tactical School alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Marine Corps generals American military personnel of the Banana Wars United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Battle of Midway Attack on Pearl Harbor