Kenneth Cameron Wilson
Second Lieutenant Kenneth C. Wilson, a Marine pilot, died in an airplane accident off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-26579
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
October 7, 1921
at Grants Pass, OR
Parents
Cameron Wilson
Nola Ann (Pollock) Wilson
Education
Klamath Union High School (1940)
Oregon State College
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
July 14, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
1510 Carlyle Street
Klamath Falls, OR
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Nola Wilson
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
MBDAG-42
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Kenneth “Kenny” Wilson, a former OSC “Beaver” footballer, earned his wings and Marine commission at NATC Corpus Christi in the summer of 1943. He was assigned to Marine Base Defense Air Group (MBDAG) 42 for additional training as a torpedo bomber pilot.
On 26 December 1943, Lieutenant Wilson was piloting a torpedo bomber on a flight from Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara. He was involved in a mid-air collision with another student pilot, 2Lt. William A. Uphouse, at approximately 1700 hours. The two pilots parachuted from their stricken aircraft, and Uphouse was picked up by a crash boat after almost two hours in the water. Wilson was never found.
Burial Information or Disposition
Lost at sea.
Memorials
No known memorials.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Nola Wilson.
Location Of Loss
Wilson and Uphouse collided about 15 miles south of the Goleta air station.
