Lendy Joel from Torres in the Banks Islands further up north, was working construction just above the Million Dollar Point area, when he came across a dog tag – but not your regular WWII dog tag.
This particular dog tag pre-dates World War II and is very simple in its design. On one side is the person’s name and country and on the reverse, their service number. This one was definitely a job for our very clever WWII historian in the United States, Donna Esposito. She agreed the dog tag was of the type that was issued between the wars. When however, would take some digging.
Yet, within 24 hours Donna had some great news for us. She had found the records of one Kenneth Eugene Day. It turns out Kenneth was born on November 2, 1921 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania to
Edmond R. and Carrie (Miller) Day. He was one of five children, with two older sisters, an older brother, and a younger brother Arlen Day (born 1931), who appears to still be alive.
His father was a painter and paperhanger and Kenneth attended Pottsville High School for three years before leaving to enlist in the Army Air Corps on November 7, 1939, just after his 18th birthday.
During WWII, Kenneth rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and served as a refuelling operator with the 11th Bombardment Group in Hawaii, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Solomon Islands and New Guinea.
He married Gladys Williams, who served as a WAC, and they had a daughter Sheila in 1944. Sheila only recently passed away in November 2021.
Kenneth was discharged and re-enlisted in the Army Air Forces in October 1945 and remained in the Air Force at least through 1950, serving with 373rd Reconnaissance Squadron, (VRL) Weather, at Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda. He retired with the rank of Master Sergeant. Kenneth passed away in 2007 and is interred at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. Unfortunately Donna hasn’t been able to locate a photo of Kenneth. However she believes she has located his granddaughter and his brother. While he is now 90, he or indeed his granddaughter might be able to fill in a few blanks and provide us with a photo of Kenneth.
