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Who is Adolph Kuhn and why is he known as the Hero of Pearl Harbor?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Adolph Kuhn was born in La Crosse, Kansas on September 5, 1921 to Volga German parents. He grew up with ten brothers and sisters on a wheat farm during the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the beginnings of WWII. In May of 1940, after having graduated from La Crosse High School, Kuhn joined the Navy to "get off the farm." Being 6' 4 3/4" tall, he technically was too tall but a sympathetic Navy doctor in Kansas City passed him along during his physical.
In January of 1940, Kuhn shipped out of San Diego and headed for Pearl Harbor, anyone's paradise, or so he thought. He was trained as a Navy metal smith assigned to Ford Island. Kuhn's barracks was next to the majestic ship USS Arizona which coincidentally had two fellow La Crosse High School graduates - the Becker Brothers - on board. Of course, they serve there still today.
On the morning of December 7, 1941, Kuhn was staying with his cousin Andy Herrman and several other toughs playing cards when bullets ripped through the ceiling of their cantonment barracks. (The cousins originally planned to go to the local Catholic church; this was the only day in his life that Kuhn EVER missed mass.) At first assuming "our guys were getting careless," Kuhn bid his cousin (a civilian shipyard worker) farewell when distant explosions erupted.
Outside, Kuhn saw a plane with the "meatball" on the side and knew something wasn't quite right. Suddenly, two soldiers in a '32 Ford pulled up and said "Get in Mac! We're at war!" Kuhn jumped into the rumble seat, covered his head, and proceeded to ask his guardian angels for protection as a Zero chased the trio down a dirt road, shooting at them, as the car raced toward Pearl Harbor.
Adolph Kuhn's next several hours were unbelievable and well-documented in such books as Adolph Kuhn: An American Journey (1921-Present) and Pearl Harbor Remembered.
Why Adolph Kuhn is known as the "Hero of Pearl Harbor" has to do with the fact that he was almost killed a reported 19 times that day while trying to save other men on Ford Island, protect American planes and property, and rescue injured sailors and Marines from the USS Arizona while under orders. In fact, Kuhn is the only documented case of ANYBODY boarding that fateful, burning ship after it was sunk. Later that night, with a fellow sailor named Archibald, from Helena, Montana, Kuhn roamed Ford Island to warn the pockets of frightened men to let the incoming planes land. He and Archibald were almost killed by the now skittish men.
On December 7, 2011, Adolph Kuhn was asked to speak at the 70th Anniversary Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Though he did not receive any recognition for his exploits that day, Kuhn once said, "I didn't do it for any medals."
Adolph Kuhn currently resides in Oceanside, California, enjoying his last few years on earth, but missing his dear wife Elsie who passed in 2009...
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∙ 11y ago
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