‘Some planes don’t come back; 
... your buddies’: Pifke was the youngest of four brothers who all served in World War II

PROPHETSTOWN – His three older brothers already had been drafted, so Kenneth L. Pifke's mother wasn't happy when she found out her youngest son had enlisted to join the Marines just out of high school.

"He's going to be drafted anyway," Pifke said his brothers told his mom in defense of his decision.

Just before graduating in 1942 from Chicago's Lane Tech High School, Pifke, then 18, met with a recruiter at the school. He wanted to be a pilot, but failed a depth perception exam.

So, since he enjoyed working around planes, Pifke joined the 2nd Marines Aircraft Wing to be an aerial gunner on TBF Avenger torpedo bombers that flew close to the water over the Pacific Ocean.

"To tell you the truth, the excitement was so great at the time," he said of his role as a gunner in World War II. "But the worst part of it is when you came back [to the base], some planes don't come back; ... your buddies."

One of the more significant battles Pifke recalls was a bombing attack of the Japanese at Rabaul Harbor in New Guinea.

"We lost a lot of planes there," Pifke said. "It went on for months."

The war also brought some good memories, like playing a pickup baseball game with pilots at a Jacksonville, Fla., naval air station. Two of them were professional baseball players – Hall of Famer Ted Williams and Bob Kennedy, who played for the Chicago White Sox among other teams and later managed the Chicago Cubs.

Pifke's welcome home from the war was subdued. There was no reception. He just showed up at his family's door in November 1945 and said, "I'm home."

All of his brothers made it back safely, too. Pifke said his family was "fortunate."

A year after returning home, Pifke met his wife, Marilyn. They married, had three children, and will celebrate their 64th anniversary in December, Pifke proudly said.

Pifke learned the tool and die trade just after the war, and worked for more than 40 years. He and Marilyn moved from Chicago to Prophetstown in 1988 to be near their daughters, and have been there since.

His military service taught him some things he'd like to see more of today – respect for people and life.

"I'd like to see our youth wandering the streets today go to boot camp," Pifke said.This is the third in a series of Sauk Valley Newspapers articles on some of the World War II veterans who are going to Washington, D.C., May 26 on the Whiteside County Honor Flight. Due to health reasons, Pifke recently had to drop out of participating.

Kenneth L. Pifke

Age: 86

Hometown: Prophetstown

Branch of Service: 2nd Marines Aircraft Wing

Rank: Master Tech Sergeant

Theater: Pacific

Years Served: July 1942 to November 1945

Medals: Good Conduct, Sharpshooter, Pacific Theater