Condolence From John Brenneman

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:22:21 EST

Jan and I are sorry to hear about Ken passing while we were out of the country but he had such a full life. I was honored to have served just a short time with Ken in the senate and wished I could have known him longer. While here in Wilsonville the last couple of years I took family and friends to visit him at the Wilsonville and they always enjoyed his good attitude and good humor. He always seemed pleased that we came. Our daughter Shannon was able to get to the service in Hood River and said it was such a great service. We'll miss Ken and will always remember him. He was a great friend and mentor.

Story shared: Ken: “It’s been a ball.”

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:15:18 EST

As so many know, Ken was a gem of a man. In my capacity as a writer for the Oregon Dept. of Veterans Affairs and previously with Oregon's National Guard, I wrote about him twice--once for the ODVA veterans history book a few years ago. What a great time we had just talking. It wasn't like an interview. My favorite Ken story from the book was his meeting with Lindberg. When his American Volunteer Group (AVG) contract flying as a Flying Tiger with China expired on July 4, 1942 (He said, “It’d be a CIA job today,”), Ken had a choice of jobs. He went to Republic Aviation on Long Island, N.Y., where he was a test pilot for nearly every U.S. fighter of the war. It was there that he encountered Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic from New York to Paris in 1927. Both men were there to test fly a new Navy plane. After talking in the mens room and as they waited for the planes, Ken insisted Lindy go first. In the book Ken said: “When he (Lindbergh) returned, his landing gear wouldn’t come down. Lindy put her into a steep dive and pulled up quickly so the force of gravity could drop the gear into place. On his third try, the gear came down and he landed. When he got out of the plane I joked with him and said, ‘Hey Lindy, thanks for checking that one out for me.’ Lindy was a real gentleman.” Ken told me 3 years ago that a guy called him once to say he’d bought his original AVG/Tiger’s leather flight jacket from a collector. Ken asked how it looked, etc... and played along. Then Ken chuckled and gave him the bad news that there was only one leather jacket issued to AVG pilots and it was hanging in his closet... and he could see it. Up until about 2012, Ken continually had calls and letters from visitors from all over the world wanting to meet him. Most just wanted to say hi, shake his hand, ask questions, take a photo, sign an autograph or book, and thank him. Ken was sort of a "WWII Rock Star" in his own right. He wouldn't agree. “I’ve had such an exciting fun life,” Jernstedt said in the ODVA book. “It’s been a ball.” Thank you, Ken. We'll all miss you, your smile and humor, and won't forget your legacy of service and love for family, friends and your state. You were quite a fella!

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Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:40:06 EST

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Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:39:35 EST

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Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:39:25 EST

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Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:54:10 EST

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Sat, 09 Feb 2013 12:52:51 EST