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William Ellsworth Kepner was born in Miami, Indiana on January 6, 1893.
At the age of 16, in 1909, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps where he served until 1913. By then, he was also a 2nd Lieutenant in the Indiana National Guard. He served with the 28th Infantry Division in 1917 on the Mexican Border, and then was commissioned into the U.S. Cavalry.
In 1920, he entered the Air Service as a Captain. He qualified as a balloon observer and dirigible pilot. Kepner attended several service schools, including locations in California, Virginia, and New Jersey. In the period 1927-1929, he participated in at least four national and international balloon races. In October, 1930, he was promoted to Major and assigned to Wright Filed, Illinois as chief of Material Division's Lighter then Air Branch.
At March Field, California and Kelly Field, Texas, Kepner learned to fly conventional aircraft in the years 1931-32. He then became the chief of Purchases Branch at Wright Field and participated in more balloon races. In 1934, he was assigned to Rapid City, South Dakota as a pilot and also as commander of the Army Air Corps Stratosphere Flight. It was during this time that he accompanied Major Ira Eaker in his record-setting instrument only experimental flight across the U.S. - a distance of 2,700 miles.
In 1937, Kepner attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Langley Field, Virginia as commander of the 8th Pursuit Group. He oversaw all aviation defenses at the Fort Bragg maneuvers of 1938. In 1939, he received a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.
The year 1940 saw Kepner assigned as the Executive Officer of the Air Defense Command, where he received a promotion to Colonel. In two years, he attained the rank of Brigadier General and became Commanding General for the 4th Fighter Command and then the 4th Air Force near San Francisco, California. He gained the rank of Major General in April, 1943, and was assigned to 8th Air Force in Europe. He served as head of 8th AF and the 2nd Bomb Division. Then in 1945, he took command of 9th Air Force. He flew 24 combat missions in both bombers and fighter aircraft.
After the war, he served as Commanding General of Tactical Air Command. In 1946, he served at Headquarters, Army Air Forces, and then was assigned to command the Air Technical Training Command at Scott AFB, Illinois. He later served as chief of the Atomic Energy Division, and after serving in the Pacific area with the Atomic Energy Division, returned and became Commanding General at the Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin AFB, Florida.
He became a Lieutenant General in 1950 and assumed command of the Alaskan Air Command. Holding six aeronautical ratings - command pilot; combat observer; balloon pilot; zeppelin pilot; semi-rigid pilot; and metal-clad airship pilot, General Kepner retired from active duty on February 28, 1953.
He passed away from an undetermined illness on July 3, 1982.
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