Info Sheet - John "Jack" Kempster
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Military Bio - by Ted Kempster his son
Entered service from Cornell University ROTC, 8 Aug 1962. Fixed wing flight school, OFWAC 63-5, graduated Jun 1963. Sep 1963 to Uijeongbu, Korea, 59th Aviation Company monitoring DMZ and VIP transport. Aug 1964 to Ft. Monmouth / Lakehurst NAS, NJ, Electronics Support Command supporting SIGINT engineers. May 1965 graduated rotor wing US Army RWQC, Ft. Wolters, TX. Mar 1966 to Cu Chi, Vietnam, D-Troop 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 25th ID, flew scouts, slicks, and was in the Heavy Weapons Gunship section.
Mar '67 to Hunter Army Airfield, GA, Chief, Gunnery Section AH-1G Cobra Training School. May 1969 to Pleiku, Vietnam, Commander, 665th Trans Detachment in support of 361st Aviation Company (Combat). May '70 return to Ft Eustis, Transportation Officer advanced course. 1971 to St. Louis, AVSCOM, UTTAS PM Office. 1975 to Schofield Barracks, HI, Ass’t G4 aircraft maintenance, 25th ID, followed by CO, 347th Transportation Company, Aircraft Maintenance General Support, 25th ID. 1978 return to St. Louis, AVRADCOM CH-47 modernization program management office, SGS and CoS June '79. 1983 to Pentagon. As LTC - Aviation Materiel Management Officer for the U.S. Army. Office of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Logistics. As COL - Managed 6.1 and 6.2 funding for all Army R&D, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research, Development and Acquisition (ODCSRADA). Summer 1985 to Watertown, MA, Commander, Materials Technology Laboratory. 1987 to Ft. Eustis, VA, Director, Applied Aviation Technology Directorate. Ret. 31AUG89 as O-6.
Post-military
11 years in second career, executive management at ITT Defense Electronics in Roanoke, VA
Retired for good 2000. Settled in Lakeland, Florida 2002. Active in AF&AM, Shrine International Legion of Honor, and Chair of Sun-n-Fun.
Wife, Bea, since January 1965
Three children, 8 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren