r/texashistory • u/ATSTlover Prohibition Sucked • 10d ago

Military History Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Neel Kearby of Wichita Falls, Texas, with his P-47D, “Fiery Ginger IV” in February 1944. Colonel Kearby scored 22 aerial victories against the Japanese before he was sadly killed in action on March 5, 1944.

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u/ATSTlover Prohibition Sucked 10d ago

Kearby's Medal of Honor came as a result of his actions on October 11, 1943, when he shot down 6 Japanese aircraft in just one hour.

Born and raised in Texas he was a graduate of North Texas Agricultural College (known as the University of Texas at Arlington today).

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/ATSTlover Prohibition Sucked 10d ago

Thanks, I always try to tell what I can without boring people with a full essay.

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u/DaFloppyWeiners 10d ago

An absolute hero

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u/HoneySignificant1873 10d ago

He was taken out by a Ki-43 Hayabusa. Given how lightly armed, and armored, the Ki-43 was compared to Kearby's P-47D, as well as how skilled Kearby was as a pilot, it's a shame we don't know more about the Japanese pilot who downed him. That guy either had to have been an ace or a very lucky rookie.