Kenneth Jernstedt
| Kenneth A. Jernstedt | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Oregon Senate from the 18th and 28th district |
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In office 1969–1988 |
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| Preceded by | Ben Musa |
| Succeeded by | Wayne Fawbush |
| Constituency | Gilliam, Hood River, Morrow, Sherman, Wasco, and Wheeler counties (18th District); Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Sherman, Wasco, Wheeler, and Deschutes counties (28th District) |
| Member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 22nd district |
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In office 1967–1968 |
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| Preceded by | Katherine Musa |
| Succeeded by | William H.Dielschneider |
| Constituency | Hood River and Wasco counties |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 20, 1917 Yamhill County, Oregon |
| Died | February 5, 2013 (aged 95) Hood River, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Laura Elliot; Genevieve Weder Carl |
| Profession | Businessman |
Kenneth Allen Jernstedt (July 20, 1917 – February 5, 2013) was an American Flying Tigers fighter pilot, a test pilot, a politician and a businessman.
Jernstedt was born in Yamhill County, Oregon, to Fred and Mae Jernstedt, and grew up on a farm in Carlton. He graduated from Yamhill High School in 1935 and from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, in January 1939.
After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Air Corps. He earned his pilot wings in 1941 at Pensacola, Florida, and was assigned to Quantico.
In 1941, Jernstedt was recruited to join the Flying Tigers to fight the Japanese in China, resigning his Marine Corps commission (with the secret approval of the US government). He became a flight leader of the 3rd Squadron, flying the Curtiss P-40. On one mission, he and fellow flight leader Bill Read strafed two airfields and were credited with destroying 15 enemy aircraft on the ground; they split the bonus of $7500 ($500 per aircraft). In his Flying Tigers career, Jernstedt was credited with an additional three victories, for a total of 10.5. In a 1999 interview, he stated the figure should have been 12.5, but two could not be confirmed. Because he was ill, he received permission to leave the Flying Tigers several weeks before the unit was disbanded in early July 1942 (after the United States had entered the war).
Returning to the United States, he joined Republic Aviation as a civilian test pilot. Among the aircraft he flew was the P-47 Thunderbolt.
After the war ended, he moved to Hood River, Oregon, in 1946. He bought the Hood River Bottling Works, a soft drink bottler, and ran it for 25 years.
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