Grace Kennedy(Women's Army Corp's)

Kennedy was patriot





Thursday, December 31, 2009 2:11 PM EST

Calling Grace Kennedy a “real patriot,” a Toledo historian says people should know her story.

“Grace Kennedy was a real patriot and people ought to know what she’s done,” said Alan “Bud” Fisher. He interviewed Kennedy two years ago for the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project, and recently learned of her death.

Grace S. Kennedy, 91, of Bryan, died Wednesday, December 23, 2009, in her residence.
Kennedy was found dead in her home a week ago in Bryan,Ohio. The Bryan police suspect the death is a homicide and still are investigating.

“She was a terrific lady,” he said. “She served in the Philippines, which was no bed of roses, and she didn’t have to be there. All the women in World War II were volunteers. She did quite a service for her country.”



As a cryptographer in the Women’s Army Corps, Technician 4, Grace Kennedy served in Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s headquarters during the Iwo Jima and Okinawa campaigns of World War II, according to David L. Lupien. He is a local historian who included Kennedy’s story in his book, “A Veteran History of Williams County, Ohio.”

She entered basic training at Daytona Beach, Fla., and was ordered to San Francisco and the Pacific Theatre of war.

En route to MacArthur’s headquarters, she passed through Honolulu, Hawaii, where she witnessed the devastation rendered on Pearl Harbor from Japanese surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

From there, she passed through Brisbane, Australia, and Port Moresby, New Guinea. She joined MacArthur’s headquarters during the Leyte campaign, in Hollandia, New Guinea.

“Her convoy narrowly escaped a Japanese submarine on the way there,” Fisher said. She and the rest of MacArthur’s staff island-hopped behind the front lines as battles progressed until they reached Manila.

While in Manila, Kennedy discovered Japanese occupation money in a destroyed post office, intended for use by Japanese soldiers in New Guinea, Australia, the Philippines, and eventually, in the United States.

Also in Manila, Kennedy processed casualty reports from the Okinawa and Iwo Jima landings, which she described as unbelievable and far heavier than expected, and which directly contributed to the U.S. decision to use the atomic bomb in Japan.

Kennedy left the military in January 1946.

She shared her experiences with students and organizations throughout the area, and left an oral history, through the Veterans History Project, in the Library of Congress.

Kennedy’s story also was included in Fisher’s book, “What a Time It Was,” released last month. The book is a collection of short stories gleaned from his interviews with area veterans. The full-length tape of Fisher’s interview also is available at the University of Toledo’s Canaday Center.