Dixie Kiefer - Navy Commodore had a long career serving our country

Dixie Kiefer was born in Blackfoot, Bingham County, Idaho on April 4, 1896. From the 1900 U.S. Census, we learn that his father, Carl Edward, 39, was a music teacher. His mother Christina, 30, had three children living at home at this time; Dixie, 4 years old, Glade, 7 and Catherine, 6. They lived at 1518 East Pacific Avenue in Spokane, Washington.

Ten years later the 1910 U.S. Census reported that the family was living on Sewell Street in Lincoln, Nebraska. Two additional daughters, Idancha, 8 and Phyllis, 6, increased the family to six. Missing from this document was Dixie’s father Carl. Sometime between 1900 and 1910, he left the family and married Charlotte Mary Birch. They had two daughters, Charlotte and Eleanor, Dixie’s half-sisters.

Dixie attended Lincoln (Nebraska) High School, before his appointment to the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, from the First District of Nebraska in 1915. He graduated and was commissioned as an Ensign in June 1918, with the Class of 1919. Dixie progressed in grade until his promotion to Commodore on May 24, 1945. His Navy Service Number was O-34685.

Between the Naval Academy and his death on November 11, 1945, Kiefer’s naval career was varied and noteworthy. He served aboard many ships from destroyers to battleships. In 1922 he reported to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida for flight training. He served aboard the USS Aroostook and the battleship USS California with observation squadrons. Following duty as an Instructor at the Pensacola Naval Air Station for a year and one-half, he was under instruction in aeronautical engineering at the Postgraduate School, Annapolis, Maryland, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received the degree Master of Science in June 1929. Many other assignments followed to numerous to mention here. For details see the website https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/DIXIE_KIEFER,_COMM,_USN

Kiefer then was Inspector of Naval Aircraft, US Aircraft Corporation, Pratt and Whitney Division, East Hartford, Connecticut, from July 1938 until April 1941. Detached from the Primary Training Command assignment at Kansas City in April 1944, he fitted out the USS Ticonderoga, assuming command of that aircraft carrier when she was commissioned May 1944. During his command, the Ticonderoga's Air Group inflicted heavy damage to the Japanese. Severely wounded when the Ticonderoga was twice struck by enemy suicide planes near Formosa on 21 January 1945, Commodore Kiefer remained on the bridge for twelve hours directed his heavily damaged ship. For his services in command of the Ticonderoga, he was awarded the Silver Star Medal "...On 21 January 1945 when his ship was severely damaged by enemy air attack, in spite of serious wounds, he remained on the bridge and continued to direct operations until his ship was out of danger from enemy action..."

He subsequently returned to the United States for hospitalization, and on 19 April 1945, reported for duty as Commander, Naval Air Bases, First Naval District, with additional duty as Commander, Naval Air Station, Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Commodore Kiefer was killed in an accidental plane crash in the Fishkill Mountains, Fishkill, New York, on 11 November 1945.

Kiefer was buried with full military honors in the Arlington National Cemetery on November 16, 1945. The headstone is located at Section 3 Grave 4072-C. The headstone inscription reads, “DIXIE KIEFER, COMMODOR UNITED STATES NAVY, 1896 - 1945.” A Navy aviation wing insignia is carved at the top center of the headstone.

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This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.

SBTS Project/Blackfoot/Idaho

Resources:

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9391300/dixie-kiefer

1900, 1910, and 1920 U.S. Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/73219069:7602

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/161187014:7884

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/18311279:6061

The Iola Register Iola, Kansas · Monday, November 12, 1945 page 1

https://www.newspapers.com/image/636264756/?focus=0.5011178%2C0.2409372%2C0.62037385%2C0.45509022&xid=3355&clipping_id=111484457

U.S., Navy Casualties Books, 1776-1941 for Dixie Kiefer

Combat Naval Casualties, World War II

https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61535&h=1636702&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=7602

U.S. Naval Academy

https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/DIXIE_KIEFER,_COMM,_USN

U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985

Ancestry.com/discoveryui_content/view/79282:2345?tid=&pid=&queryId=1f3dbd49cc76eb1689e4f0d8eabbb179&_phsrc=maU290&_phstart=successSource