WILLIAM E. KEPNER
January 6, 1893 – Unknown
William E. Kepner was born on January 6, 1893. He served four years in the Marine Corps from
1909 to 1913 and, in 1916, served as a second lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard. After
service on the Mexican border, he was assigned to the 28th Infantry and served with the Mexican
Border Defense. He was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant in the Cavalry, U.S. Army, in 1917 and
commanded a company and battalion. Following WWI, Kepner served as operations officer in
Germany. During the years between the wars he acquired a thorough knowledge of airships,
attending both Army and Navy airship schools. He was detailed to the Air Service in 1920 and
assigned to the balloon school at Ross Air Field.
He graduated in 1921 and, a year later, emerged from the Airship school at Langley Field as a
dirigible pilot and was transferred to the Air Service. He went to the Naval Airship station at
Lakehurst, New Jersey in 1923 and, in addition to flights aboard the Shenandoah and the Los
Angeles, graduated with the 1924 class from the Naval Ground Course on rigid airships.
Between courses, Kepner commanded the Airship School detachment at Langley and the Ninth
Airship Company at Scott AAF in 1926. While at Scott, he also served as assistant commandant
of the Airship school there.
From 1927 to 1929, Kepner flew in four national and international balloon races. In two of those
he piloted his balloon to first place. He was then assigned to the Material Division At WrightField as chief of the Lighter-than-Air Branch, Engineering Division. The following year, Kepner
enrolled in the Primary Flying School at March Field and upon graduation, went to Kelly Field
for advanced training. After serving as Chief of the Purchase Branch of the Material Division at
Wright Field, he resumed activities in balloon races, acting as Chief of Operation on the contest
committee for the Gordon-Bennett International balloon race in 1933.
During the summer of 1934, he served as pilot and commander of the National Geographic
Society-Army Air Corps Stratosphere Flight, “Explorer I,” attaining an altitude of 61,000 feet
before the balloon ripped open and he parachuted to safety. Kepner remained at Wright Field
until 1935 when he enrolled in the Air Corps Tactical School at Maxwell Field and graduated in
1936. In 1936, Kepner enrolled in the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth
and graduated in 1937. He went on to serve in a number of executive commands at Langley
Field and Mitchell Field. In 1943, he assumed command of the Eighth Fighter Command in the
European Theater. Under his guidance, the Eighth was a key factor in the destruction of the
German Air Force. Its planes escorted heavy bombers through enemy-infested air, enabling
strategic bombing to continue successfully until Germany was defeated.
In May 1945, Kepner assumed command of the Eighth Air Force and then became commanding
general of the Ninth Air force in the European Theater. After the war, he became commanding
general of Air Technical Training Command at Scott Field. In October 1947, he was assigned to
Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, for Atomic Energy. In August 1948, he was appointed
commanding general of the Air Proving Ground at Eglin AFB, Florida. In July 1950, he
assumed duty as commander-in-Chief of the Alaskan Command at Ft. Richardson, Alaska. In
1953, Kepner retired as a Lieutenant General from the USAF.
Kepner was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross
and the Legion of Merit with two clusters, to name just a few.
Prior to 1950
1979/Revised 2000