{"id":623,"date":"2020-05-05T07:24:22","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/design\/?page_id=623"},"modified":"2024-06-23T21:17:40","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T02:17:40","slug":"08-john-irvin-kerns-copperhill-tennessee","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/08-john-irvin-kerns-copperhill-tennessee\/","title":{"rendered":"08 John Irvin Kerns, Copperhill, Tennessee"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
\"\"<\/figure>\r\n\r\n

John Irvin Kerns<\/h2>\r\n
\"John<\/a>
John Irvin Kerns<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n

Rank\/Rate:\u00a0\u00a0 Private, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve)<\/p>\r\n

Service Number:\u00a0\u00a0 348233<\/p>\r\n

Birth Date:\u00a0\u00a0 August 9, 1919<\/p>\r\n

From:\u00a0\u00a0 Copperhill, Tennessee<\/p>\r\n

Decorations:\u00a0\u00a0 Navy Cross, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal<\/p>\r\n

Navy Cross Citation, written before the actual circumstances of his death were known:\u00a0\u00a0The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to John I. Kerns (348233), Private, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous devotion to duty while serving as a member of a volunteer boat crew in Company B, SECOND Marine Raider Battalion, during the Marine Raider Expedition against the Japanese-held island of Makin in the Gilbert Islands on 17 and 18 August 1942. Fully aware of the hazards of an imminent enemy air attack, and with complete disregard for his own life, Private Kerns, with four others, volunteered to take a boat to a point just outside a reef and shoot a line ashore to assist in evacuating those men remaining on the beach. Caught on the sea, he was defeated in his valiant efforts by the violent strafing of his boat by withering enemy machine-gun fire. His great personal valor and loyal spirit of self-sacrifice were in keeping with the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country.<\/p>\r\n

Command:\u00a0\u00a0 2nd Raider Battalion, carried aboard USS Argonaut<\/p>\r\n

Loss Date:\u00a0\u00a0 October 16, 1942<\/p>\r\n

Location:\u00a0\u00a0 Kwajalein<\/p>\r\n

Circumstances:\u00a0\u00a0 Captured on Butaritari Island, Makin Atoll, taken to Kwajalein and executed<\/p>\r\n

Remarks:\u00a0 Photo courtesy of Gunner Ed Sere, USMC, ret.<\/p>\r\n

NavSource,\u00a0 Submarine Photo Archive for the USS ARGONAUT (SS-166)<\/a><\/p>\r\n

On Eternal Patrol list of Submariners and Marines lost on the USS Argonaut (SS-166)<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Find a Grave Memorial: PVT John Irvin “Jack” Kerns<\/a> (Honolulu Memorial)<\/p>\r\n

\u00a0 Return to Lost Tennessean Roster<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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Tennessee Submarine Memorial Association<\/h3>\r\n

Perpetuating the memories of submariners who didn\u2019t come home<\/em><\/p>\r\n

Chairman: Mike Anderson (SK2(SS)USN) | President: Patrick Ryan (YNC(SS), LCDR USN)<\/p>\r\n

The TSMA is a nonprofit memorial association registered as a 501(c) tax exempt organization and is registered with the Tennessee Secretary of State to receive charitable donations. Please make the TSMA one of the charities that you support.\u00a0 You can make a donation here or send a check made to: Tennessee Submarine Memorial Association, c\/o 309 Church Street, #107, Nashville, TN 37201.<\/p>\r\n

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Get the newsletter<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/div>\r\n

Here’s our nonprofit (501(c)3) designation letter [link<\/a>] Here’s our State of Tennessee registration to solicit charitable donations [link<\/a>]<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/form><\/div>\r\n

Thank you for your help commemorating the Tennesseans who gave their lives as American Submariners in the service of the United States Navy.<\/h3>\r\n

Tennessee Submarine Memorial Association <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n

c\/o 309 Church Street, #107 Nashville, TN 37201<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John Irvin Kerns Rank\/Rate:\u00a0\u00a0 Private, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve) Service Number:\u00a0\u00a0 348233 Birth Date:\u00a0\u00a0 August 9, 1919 From:\u00a0\u00a0 Copperhill, Tennessee Decorations:\u00a0\u00a0 Navy Cross, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War Medal Navy Cross Citation, written before the actual circumstances of his death were known:\u00a0\u00a0The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to John I. Kerns (348233), Private, U.S. Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous devotion to duty while serving as a member of a…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/623"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/623\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8513,"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/623\/revisions\/8513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tennsub.org\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}