Richard Paul Keirn (29 July 1924 – 22 May 2000) was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and fighter pilot in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. He was one of two United States service members to be a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

(POW) in both

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and was the first US airman to be shot down by a

Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

(SAM) during the Vietnam War.

Early life

Keirn was born on 29 July 1924 in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

Air Force career

While serving as a

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

flight officer during World War II, Keirn's B-17 was shot down on his first mission and he was held as a prisoner of war in Nazi Germany from 11 September 1944 to 5 May 1945. Following World War II, Keirn served in the

Ohio Air National Guard The Ohio Air National Guard (OH ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is, along with the Ohio Army National Guard, an element of the Ohio National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Ohio Air ...

164th Fighter Interceptor Squadron before returning to the active Air Force in December 1956. Captain Keirn volunteered for duty in Vietnam and in July 1965 deployed with the

47th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 47th Fighter Squadron is an Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it flies Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and is assigned to the 442d Operations Group. The squadron (aviation) ...

to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. On 24 July 1965, his

F-4C Phantom The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed ...

#63-7599 was shot down by a North Vietnamese SAM-2 northeast of

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

, in the first loss of a US aircraft to a Vietnamese SAM. Keirn ejected successfully from his stricken aircraft and was captured. His bombardier/navigator Captain Roscoe H. Fobair failed to eject and was killed; his remains were recovered in 2001. During his captivity, Keirn was one of 52 Americans forced to participate in the

Hanoi March The Hanoi March (known alternatively as the Hanoi Parade) was a propaganda event held on July 6, 1966, involving U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. During the march, members of the North Vietnamese Army paraded 52 American POWs through th ...

, a propaganda event held in July 1966 in which U.S. POWs were marched through the streets of Hanoi and brutally beaten by North Vietnamese civilians. He was released on 12 February 1973 as a part of Operation Homecoming. Upon return to the United States, Keirn returned to flying status with the Air Force, flying both the O-2 Skymaster, and

RF-4C Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...

, and served as Assistant Director and as Director of Operational Services, Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Headquarters Ninth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, from 23 April 1975 to 30 June 1976.

Military awards and decorations

Colonel Keirn's major military awards and decorations include:

Silver Star citation

:Lieutenant Colonel Richard P. Keirn :U.S. Air Force :Prisoner of War (North Vietnam) :Date of Action: August 15 – November 15, 1967

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 8, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Lieutenant Colonel Richard P. Keirn, United States Air Force, for gallantry and intrepidity in action in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force during August 1967, while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Ignoring international agreements on treatment of prisoners of war, the enemy resorted to mental and physical cruelties to obtain information, confessions, and propaganda materials. Lieutenant Colonel Keirn resisted their demands by calling upon his deepest inner strengths in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

Family

Keirn was married with a son,

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Steve Keirn Stephen Paul Keirn (born September 10, 1951) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances in multiple National Wrestling Alliance territories as Steve Keirn as one-half of the tag team The Fabulous Ones, as we ...

and a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keirn, Richard 1924 births 2000 deaths United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American prisoners of war in World War II Aviators from Ohio People from Akron, Ohio Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Silver Star Shot-down aviators Vietnam War prisoners of war United States Air Force colonels World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)