Anthony Kuhn

ANTHONY "Tony" KUHN

1st LT

Service Number O&738645,

Army Air Corps (later renamed United States Army Air Force)

13th Air Force, 5th Bombardment Group, 72nd and later, the 394th Bomber Squadrons

Tony was the son of German immigrants Raphael and Barbara (Barth) Kuhn, who escaped Russian persecution and came to the United States. Tony was born on May 21, 1917 in Dickinson, North Dakota.

After completing high school, Tony accepted an accounting position with a company in Juneau, Alaska.

While in Juneau, he signed up for the Army Air Corps in 1941.

He completed basic training in the Los Angeles, California area as an enlisted man and was sent to an Army Classification Center in Nashville, Tennessee where he was tested and selected to be trained as a Bombardier.

Tony successfully completed his training to be a Bombardier and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in February 1943 at the Kirtland Army Air Field, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Tony and his bomber crew, after extensive crew training at other military bases, flew overseas and was first assigned to the 72nd Bomber Squadron and later the 394th Bomber Squadron with the 5th Bombardment Group of the 13th Air Force in Hawaii.

They went on to join up with the advanced forward elements of the group in Guadalcanal on October 13th, 1943.

The first time Tony was wounded was when the B-24 bomber he was in was shot down by Japanese antiaircraft artillery fire in the South Pacific on November 3rd, 1943.

He was one of only four survivors who were later found in a life raft on the ocean fending off sharks and was rescued and taken back to a field hospital on Guadalcanal to have serious head wounds treated. While in the hospital, the 5th Bomb Group Commander, COL Marion Unruh, promoted Tony to 1st Lieutenant.

On December 30, 1943, Tony was the lead bombardier on another combat mission where everyone was forced to bail out after their B-24 bomber was badly damaged by Japanese fighter aircraft. Tony was one of 9 survivors who managed to get out of his parachute and swim to the beach of a nearby island, (New Ireland), where local natives hid him.

 After evading searching Japanese forces for 15 days, Tony and the crew were captured and sent to a POW camp in Rabaul, on the island of New Britain in New Guinea.

 On March 5, 1944 Tony was executed along with 20 other men.

 His ashes were returned and interred in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery on March 21, 1950.

 Tony and five of Tony’s fellow crewmembers are buried there in the same grave -  Section 78  Grave 930-934.

 Tony was awarded the Purple Heart and Air Medal along with numerous other medals.

On June 27, 2009, one of 1Lt Anthony 'Tony' Kuhn's nephews, Dale Anderson, held a closure/memorial ceremony at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St Louis, MO.

A full military honor guard ceremony was conducted by the Missouri Air National Guard and US Marine Corps.

This memorial was attended by many Kuhn family members, friends and diginataries, who came from as far away as California, Oregon, Washington and South Carolina, and many points in between to pay homage to Tony and his fellow crewmembers.

Family members and family friends attending the ceremony:   

Tony's lone surviving sibling, his brother  -  Ray Kuhn and his wife Vonnie

Nephew – Tony Kuhn (son of Tony’s brother Ray and namesake of Tony) and his wife Roberta

Family Friend - Susan Wampler

Nephew – John Kuhn (son of Tony’s brother Victor)

Nephew – Dale Anderson (son of Tony’s sister Rosemary).

Other “honored” attendees:

Oscar Fitzhenry - B-24 Pilot in the 5th Bomb Group, who personally knew Tony in the South Pacific and who took the last known photo of Tony while he was recovering in the hospital from head wounds when he was shot down the first time.

Beth Houser - Writer, researcher. Daughter of B-24 Co-Pilot, Robert 'Bob' Houser, who flew with Oscar and who also personally knew Tony in the South Pacific. Tony is referenced many times in her book 'Scootin' Thunder'.

Joanne Emerick – Writer, researcher and historian. Daughter of Wendell Pfannenstiel, a Medic in 31st Bomb Squadron of the 5th Bomb Group who could very well have cared for Tony when he was in the hospital.

Charlie Russell – He lost an uncle, Charles Konkle, who was in the 13th Air Force.

Lori Miller - Military researcher.

Victoria Miller - Lori's daughter.

Rich & Barb O’Brien – Researchers, memorial event coordinators and friends of many.

George O'Brien - Rich's father who was an Aerial Gunner in the 5th Bomb Group.

Tom Reynolds - Friend

Phil and Joan Capriglione - Friends of Rich and Barb

Randy Watkins - VA Rep, event coordinator and friend

Father Jack Dempsey - Friend to all.

Tom Reynolds was kind enough to take the time to gather the spent cartidges used in the Honor Guard's Rifle Salute, and present them to Dale and other family members.

Strange Fact but True - As the memorial ceremony was closing, everyone could hear the drone of an approaching airplane. As they looked up, a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the Liberty Belle, was passing directly over our gathering in the cemetery.

Many  participants felt that Tony and 5 fellow crew members who were executed with him and buried together; S/Sgt Edward Constantin, Maj Frederick Koebig, S/Sgt Romulus Mull, S/Sgt Lawson Stewart and Sgt Vincent Wasilevski, were up above us in the B-17 doing one last flyover just to say, "Thanks". To this day, no one claims any knowledge of having anything to do with this very special occurance.

After the initial ceremony, a number of attendees joined Joanne Emerick in going around to other grave sites and paying respects to other 5th Bomb Group members who were buried there.

Later, a luncheon was held where many of the attendees gave special presentations to the group.

Joanne Emerick presented a very interesting historical prespective on World War II and the role of the 5th Bomb Group and presented special 5th Bombardment Group "Bomber Barons" pins to all attendees.

Oscar Fitzhenry presented a haunting revelation on the downing of the B-24 'Pretty Praire Special' and the failure to rescue Col Marion Unruh's B-24 crew which subsequently lead to the capture of Tony and eight other crewmembers. Oscar also presented copies of pictures, articles and copies of a special, 'In Memory of The Pacific Liberators' plaque he personally placed on Mount Fitzhenry, a 6,050 foot summit in the Olympic Mountains in 2001.

Beth Houser, representing her father, CPT Robert 'Bob' Houser, gave a very interesting presentation from his prespective which was captured in detailed accounts in his diaries and also presented signed copies of her renown book, "Scootin' Thunder", a book she wrote and published, on her father's 45 combat missions in the B-24 of the same name in the South Pacific.

Afterwards, Dale Anderson presented an awards case of all of Tony's medals and decorations to his uncle Ray Kuhn and son Tony.

Dale also presented B-17 American Airpower Commemorative Coins, inscribed with 1Lt Anthony Kuhn's memorial information to all attendees at the end of the luncheon. (Tony's initial bombardier training was in the B-17 before moving on to the B-24.)

A special time - with very special people.