Page 58 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 58
Kennith F. Hite
A Lubbock Colonel’s
Illustrious Career
Academy “ of the Wing
Class of 1951 He flew 113 strike Command Post.
at West Point, missions (100 over
New York. In North Vietnam). Maj. Hite was
the absence of reassigned to
an Air Force “ the original
Academy, faculty of the
approximately recently opened
one fourth of graduates U.S. Air Force Academy to write
were commissioned in courses and teach cadets. It was
the U.S. Air Force. 2nd the dawn of the “Space Age,”
Lieutenant Kennith Hite and the Soviet Union had just
was on his way to becoming launched “Sputnik.” The officer
a jet fighter pilot. researched and imagined, then
conceived, wrote and taught
At this juncture, the young a course entitled “Aerospace
officer married Margaret Power in Modern War” for
Fletcher, a native of New which he received the Air Force
York City. After graduation Commendation Medal.
from flight school at
Williams Air Force Base in After all these years of
ennith F. Hite, Colonel, Arizona, Ken advanced to preparation, Ken was thrilled
USAF (Ret.) had his first Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to receive an assignment in
Kairplane ride at five years “Home of the Fighter Pilot”, 1966 to be Commander of the
of age, when his father took him where he became a jet fighter 421st Tactical Fighter Squadron,
up in a corrugated aluminum pilot in the F-86 Sabrejet. While 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at
Ford Trimotor. As he grew older, assigned to the 4th Fighter Korat Air Base, Thailand, (later
he became more interested in Interceptor Wing at Kimpo, renamed the 44th Tactical Fighter
flying. While working on the Korea, he flew 90 air- to-air Squadron).
family farm at Earth, Texas, the combat missions in the F-86 and
sight of DC-2 and DC-3 aircraft severely damaged one Soviet He flew 113 strike missions (100
flying high overhead on the MIG-15 in aerial combat. over North Vietnam). Targets
airway from Amarillo to El Paso were ammunition storage,
was inspiring to him, and he He returned to Nellis Air Force railroad yards, oil storage sites,
would watch them until they Base to be a Combat Crew and bridges and infrastructure sites.
were out of sight. Fighter Weapons Instructor, Of all his assignments, Col. Hite
teaching others to fly the F-80 considers this combat assignment
Ken was born in Vernon, Texas in and F-86. From there he was his personal “finest hour.”
1926. His older brother Robert’s assigned to the 18thTactical
participation in America’s first Wing, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa In 1967, Ken managed an
offensive air strike against Japan, and flew the F-100 and F-105. unofficial checkout in the F-4 jet
the “Doolittle Raid” sealed his Later the combat veteran became fighter at Nellis Air Force Base
determination to earn his silver the fighter attack and strike enroute to Ramstein Air Base,
wings. (Robert was captured planner for all USAF tactical to 4th Allied Tactical Air Force,
by the Japanese, and held as a fighters in the Pacific while a NATO unit in West Germany,
POW until his rescue at the end stationed at Hickham Air Force with an operational job as
of WWII. He recently passed Base, Hawaii. By now, Ken was command strike planner. Then,
away at the age of 95.) Ken was Major Hite and was returned when the opportunity presented
appointed to the U.S. Military to Nellis to serve as “Chief” itself, he moved on to an F-4 unit
of the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing,
58 Lubbock Senior Link
