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Darwin Kinney served on the famed USS Intrepid and won an award previously given to legendary aviators such as Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. Yet, he originally chose to join the Navy because it was the only branch that didn’t require wearing a tie.
A Hillsdale County native, Kinney was inducted to the Hillsdale County Hall of Valor in November. He is remembered for his service in World War II, the Korean War, and on the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier that NASA later used to recover crews of the Mercury and Gemini space missions, according to Business Insider.
According to military documents, Kinney was born in Reading on Jan. 9, 1922. He grew up on a farm and only left Hillsdale County once before enlisting with the Navy in 1941, according to former U.S. Air Force Captain Rachelle Williams, who sits on the Hillsdale County Hall of Valor Board of Directors and who has researched Kinney’s life.
“I figured if we got into a war because of what was going on in Europe, if I had a bed in the Navy, it would be dry,” Kinney said, according to Williams. “If I didn’t have a bed, I’d have other problems.”
After enlisting, Kinney went to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago for boot camp, after which he was trained as an aviation metalsmith. He then went on to serve in World War II.
Kinney later served on aircraft carriers in the Pacific Ocean near Asia during the Korean War. According to Williams, he said aircraft takeoffs and landings were the most difficult thing he ever did.
During the war, Kinney flew more than 19 types of aircraft, including the F4U Corsair, the F9F Panther, and the T28 Trojan, along with seaplanes like the Albatross.
“I’ve yet to meet another naval aviator or pilot with that number,” Williams said.
Kinney was on an unarmed reconnaissance mission on April 25, 1953 when he encountered a Russian MiG fighter jet, Williams said. Taking fire, he escaped the Russian jet, but not unscathed.
The plane was hit, and lost fuel quickly. According to Williams, Kinney couldn’t make it back to his aircraft carrier in time. He ejected from the cockpit, and after struggling to open the parachute, reached the ground safely. Fortunately for Kinney, a South Korean family rescued him that night, and a helicopter from his unit recovered him the next day. Kinney said he could still feel the cold from that night in his bones for years afterward.
By the end of his career, he had won awards such as the Naval Reserve Medal, the American Defense Medal with China Service Star, and the United Nations Service Medal, according to Kinney’s Certificate of Release. Additionally, he won the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Korean and Philippine Independence Medals.
After Kinney’s retirement, he returned to Reading with his wife Alice, where the couple were devout members of North Reading Baptist Church. Williams said Kinney worked as a carpenter and often volunteered in the community.
According to the Hillsdale Hall of Valor, assistant professor of history Jason Gehrke remarked on Kinney’s legacy at the induction ceremony.
“He seems to have been a long-lived and remarkable man, a naval aviator, and a real man of courage,” Gehrke said.