"ACE" LIEUTENANT (JG) PHILLIP L. KIRKWOOD, USNR

Phillip Leroy Kirkwood was born in Wildwood, New Jersey on 15 April 1921.

He completed the Civilian Pilot Training Program while attending Duke University in 1941 and enlisted in the Navy on 23 February 1942. Earning his Navy wings at Corpus Christi, Texas on 10 March 1943, he completed pre-operational training at Opa Locka, Florida and joined VF-10 flying F6F Hellcats off of the USS Enterprise (CV-6) from January to June 1944.

Ensign Kirkwood gained his first victory over Truk on 17 February 1944 when he shot down a Zeke and was credited with another as a “probable.” Promoted to lieutenant (lg) on 1 April, on the late afternoon of 19 June, during what would later come to be known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” Kirkwood destroyed a Judy, a Val and a Kate over Guam.

VF-10 returned to the States, transitioned to the F4U Corsair and returned to combat embarked in the USS Intrepid from 16 February 1945 until the end of the war. Kirkwood became an ace on 29 March 1945 when his division intercepted an enemy fighter formation and he destroyed two Zekes in the ocean area south of Kyushu. Then, on the morning of 16 April, his squadron intercepted a massed Japanese strike group northwest of Okinawa. Kirkwood picked off four Nates and two Val dive-bombers to become a double ace and conclude his scoring.

Kirkwood returned to civilian life in December 1945 and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Duke University. He was recalled to active duty in 1951 during the Korean conflict, then once again returned to school to complete work for his D.D.S. He remained in the Naval Reserves and retired with the rank of commander in July 1968. He practiced general dentistry in Clearwater, Florida for 34 years.

Tally Record: 12 confirmed and one probable.

Decorations:

Drawing by Dr. Phil