JOHN C. KENNEDY, III, ENS, USN

★★★ Memorial Monday ★★★

ENS John Kennedy III '79, USN was lost on January 16, 1981 when the T-2C jet trainer aircraft he was piloting crashed in the Gulf of Mexico during carrier qualifications with USS Lexington.

John had enlisted in the Navy in 1972 after graduating high school in Norwalk, California. He served for several years as a communications technician before earning an appointment to the Naval Academy via the preparatory school.

From the Lucky Bag:

John is one of a rare breed of people who a very few will be lucky enough to meet at some time in their lives. His very lifestyle and attitude gives deeper meaning to the word “friend.” Coming to us from duty in Japan and affectionately known to a few as “Skipper John,” he has spent the majority of his sojourn at the Annapolis Health Spa out on the waters with his yachts. Deciding he needed more strenuous activity to pass those increasingly difficult struggles, he has spent his first class year in the ring with the computers. Known for his famous war cry of “I’ll beat that computer someday!,” John has grappled with the digital, analog, and even the hybrid computers. Having managed to complete his four years as a Systems major, John is set to head for Pensacola and one of those glistening silver birds, after the “Great Day.”

John was survived by his parents and sister, Jan. (Jan is a board member of Run To Honor.)

To Honor! ⚓

https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/JOHN_C._KENNEDY,_III,_ENS,_USN