Re: [COLBY] Lt. Kenneth Colby
by Matthew D. Colby, DC, LCP, DPhCS
there was a Colby who died in Viet Nam. Do you know anything about him?
----- Original Message -----
From: "RC Colby" <roccos1023(a)sbcglobal.net>
To: "Colby L" <colby-l(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 4:49 PM
Subject: [COLBY] Lt. Kenneth Colby
> Ron,
>
> Here is a news story about another B-17 bomber pilot Lt. Kenneth Colby.
>
> I don't know anything more about him than written in the new story.
>
> Lt. Kenneth Colby
> Chelsea Remembers a Fallen Hero
>
> Chelsea honored a fallen, hometown hero at its Memorial Day program last
> week. The distinguished, and tragically brief life of Lt. Kenneth Lloyd
> Colby was celebrated not only for his expertise as a pilot and his sense
> of duty to his country, but also for his youthful, daredevil
> characteristics and his Chelsea-born work-ethic and humility.
> Born May 9, 1924, Colby graduated from Chelsea High School in 1942 and
> enlisted in the army after one semester at the University of Illinois. He
> excelled in Officer Candidacy School and soon entered flight school, where
> he learned to fly single engine aircraft, such as Taylor crafts, PT 22's,
> BT 13's, and two-engine AT-17's, C-17's, C-57's, as well as B-17's.
> His dream of flying after riding in a Jenny barnstorming plane in
> Montpelier was coming to fruition at the height of World War II.
> He was assigned to a B-17 unit at McGill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. In
> September 1944, Colby's fiancé, Vida Kennedy, joined him in Tampa, where
> they were married. A short time later, Colby was to leave for Europe.
> A steadfast Chelsea memory grew from Colby's first official flight when
> he broke formation and "buzzed" Chelsea's Main Street, his personal
> farewell to his family and hometown. Longtime rumor has it that he flew so
> low that his crew could look into the windows of one house on Maple
> Avenue. As speaker Ashley Lincoln said in her tribute to Colby, ".Ken's
> departure from his homeland was in step with his adventurous spirit."
> But the glory of war soon turned more gruesome for Colby as he was
> stationed near Fogia, Italy and served in the 15th Airforce, 5th Bomb
> Wing, 99th Bombing Group, 347th Squadron. His combat crew lived in tents
> along a landing zone.
> In Lincoln's words:
> "Up until Feb 25, 1945, Colby's routine bombing missions had gone like
> clockwork. However, on his 26th mission over Linz, Austria, his B-17
> sustained heavy flack damage from 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns and
> lost three of four engines. Colby contemplated landing the badly damaged
> plane in Russia; he advised his crew they could bail out and risk being
> captured.
> "But then Colby and his crew did the impossible-they lightened the plane
> as much as possible. The crew threw everything out of the aircraft but the
> kitchen sink and amazingly, Colby returned his crew and the B-17 safely
> back to Fogia."
> Flying Cross
> Colby was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for that exploit.
> Between November 1944 and April 1945, Colby flew 53 combat missions,
> Lincoln said. He clocked over 227 combat hours. In addition to the
> Distinguished Flying Cross, he was also awarded a medal from the Austrian
> government for his heroism and bravery.
> On April 20, 1945, he was awarded the Oak Leaf Clusters for "meritorious
> achievement in aerial flight while participating in sustained operational
> activities against the enemy from March 4 to April 11, 1945."
> To announce his arrival back in the states, Colby once again flew over
> Chelsea village in his B-17. One of his crew members even threw a duffel
> bag into a pasture to mark Colby's return.
> Now a decorated war hero, Colby quickly resumed his life in Chelsea. He
> was able to meet his new son, Richard, for the first time and his young
> family thrived on their family farm at the edge of the village. He
> operated a logging business for a time and then he and Vida started a milk
> bottling facility, selling their product right in Chelsea.
> Since he was still in the Army Reserves, Colby received his orders to
> serve in the Korean War. He was assigned to the 5th Air Force base called
> K-6 near Pyongtaek, Korea. Here he was a member of the 6149th Tactical
> Control Group and flew T-6 planes, also known as Mosquitoes. He marked
> locations for jet bombings. The Mosquitoes were low-flying, slow-moving
> two-seater planes. They acquired their nickname from the Chinese and North
> Korean troops who thought the planes sounded like mosquitoes and the
> "sting" of bombs and artillery would soon follow.
> Colby remained in Korea until June 1952 when he was assigned to
> Instructor Pilot duty at San Marcos Air Force Base in Seguin, Tex. On Aug.
> 26, 1952, Colby was killed in a tragic flight training accident in the
> Texas sky.
> His death shook the Chelsea community to its core, as so many found it
> unfair that he survived so many days in combat only to perish back in the
> safe American sky.
> Paying Homage
> Last week's ceremony was an emotional homage to Colby's memory. His widow
> and only son, Vida Martin and Dick Colby, were presented with a hand-made
> display case filled with Colby's medals along with the flag from this
> Mosquito Unit in Korea.
> Retired Cpl. AG Lynn Ostrander, the only living member of Colby's first
> B-17 crew, attended the program and shared his memories of Colby. He was
> in the plane when they "roared down" Main Street on the way to Europe. He
> remembered hearing that they shook the dishes in Colby's mother's
> cupboard.
> Ostrander described Colby as "a good pilot, a good leader, a good man,"
> and hailed, "well done, Lt. Colby."
> Colby's family was well-represented; his three grandchildren and six
> great-grandchildren were all in attendance, along with his sister Gail
> Cumming, and brother Merle. The program concluded with a parade to Colby's
> gravesite in the Highland Cemetery. The family was escorted in wagons
> pulled by Colby's preferred John Deere tractors.
> The Chelsea hero's grandson and namesake, Kenneth Lloyd, and
> great-grandson, Kenneth Jacob, drove the 1950 John Deere MT tractor, that
> Colby bought new himself, to the cemetery. Dick Colby found the tractor
> and bought it a few years ago. He then restored it in honor of his father.
> As the tractor sputtered down Chelsea's Main Street, the memory of Lt.
> Kenneth Lloyd Colby was alive and strong.
> By Emily Marshia
> http://www.rherald.com/News/2005/0609/Front_Page/f06.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Bob Colby
>
>
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