Richard H. Kerr was born in June 1946 in Edgerton, Wisconsin. He grew up with a brother and sister. His father was a teacher and carpenter, while his mother stayed home and raised the children. He lived in a small town and went to a small school. He played around with his friends and did what most kid did in the days of the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: The Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. He did not feel negatively impacted by the Depression because his dad had a job. He worked as a paper boy one summer and rode his bicycle. Kerr's father built a travel trailer and the family traveled all around the United States and into Mexico. Every Christmas [Annotator's Note: 25 December annually] they visited their extended family in a different part of Wisconsin. Kerr was aware of the hostilities in Europe, but he did not care much about it. Kerr was visiting his aunt when he first heard the news about the attack on Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. They did not know where Hawaii was located, so his uncle pulled out an atlas. He remembered the next day, FDR [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] went in front of United States Congress and made his famous speech [Annotator's Note: Day of Infamy Speech; President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a Joint Session of the United States Congress, 8 December 1941]. Then Congress voted to declare war on Japan. As soon as war was declared, things changed dramatically. Everything from clothes to sugar was rationed. He helped with scrap medal drives and his parents grew a Victory Garden [Annotator's Note: also called war gardens, or food gardens for defense; encouraged to reduce pressure on the public food supply]. Kerr knew that he would most likely be call for service. Kerr wanted to join the Navy because he loved the movie film, "Anchors Aweigh" [Annotator's Note: American film from 1945]. In the Spring of 1943, at 17 years old, he volunteered for a firefighting crew as a short, order cook in the state of Washington. He returned home for the Fall and entered his senior year of high school. In November [Annotator's Note: November 1943], with his parents' permission, he enlisted in the Navy. He passed his physicals and tests and was sworn in on 8 November 1943. He was immediate sent to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois]. He spent eight weeks going through boot training, which included how to roll up his bed, marching, and identifying enemy planes. By the end of the training, he was selected to go to diesel school in Chicago, Illinois. He learned how maintain and repair diesel engines. His living situation was difficult because it was very crowded. After eight weeks, he completed his course and was transferred to a base in Solomons, Maryland where he learned to operate a landing craft, tank, in the Chesapeake Bay with a crew of 12 enlisted men and two officers. With his crew, Kerr was transferred to the receiving station, Pier 91 in Chicago, Illinois. He was able to go on leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] and spent most of his time in the city and going to USO events [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations, Incorporated]. Three weeks later, he received orders to ship out on his LCT which was on top of an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. In June of 1944, they were heading overseas when he first heard about the Invasion at Normandy [Annotator's Note: D-Day; the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on 6 June 1944]. His convoy headed to the South Pacific and went through the Panama Canal. When they landed in Hawaii, his LCT [Annotator's Note: LCT-1049] was unloaded in three sections and his crew had to assemble it together. While in Hawaii, he was allowed to attend a Bob Hope [Annotator's Note: Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope KBE; British-American entertainer who was famous for entertaining American troops serving overseas during World War 2, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War] show. After some training, his LCT was loaded up on another LST and went overseas.

Richard H. Kerr was headed towards the Pacific Theater in World War 2 with an LCT [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft, Tank] crew [Annotator's Note: assigned to the LCT-1049]. They made a stop at Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] and then headed to the Russell Islands and picked up some Marines. They met a huge convoy in Ulithi Atoll [Annotator's Note: Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands] for the invasion of Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945 at Okinawa, Japan]. Kerr was ready to fight the Japanese because they had to be stopped. On 1 April 1945, the invasion of Okinawa began. The Marines were offloaded, and his LCT was offloaded from the LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. His vessel's job was to transport supplies from merchant ship or navy supply ship to the beaches Okinawa. They carried fuel, food, weapons, equipment and more. They did this multiple times, every day. After the third or fourth week after Okinawa, they were tied up to a supply ship. Suddenly, a kamikaze [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] plane hit the supply ship and then crashed into the ocean missing Kerr's vessel by 30 feet. That was the scariest moment of the war for Kerr. At the end of the war, his LCT had to ride out a typhoon. They were fine until an LST lost their anchor and crossed his LCT anchor. They were pulled to the shore and stuck for several days until a high tide washed them back out to sea. Twice, his LCT took in wounded Marines and transferred them to hospital ships. His brother-in-law was a Marine at Okinawa. He was on Ie-Shima [Annotator's Note: also known as Ee Island, or Ie-Jima, Okinawa, Japan] the same day, Ernie Pyle [Annotator's Note: Ernest Taylor Pyle, American journalist and war correspondent] was killed on 18 April 1945. Kerr'ss crew remained at Okinawa throughout the war. Kerr heard about the atomic bombs [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945]. Kerr had never seen so much gun fire as much as the night they found out the Japanese surrendered on VJ-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory Over Japan Day, 15 August 1945]. Kerr later found out that if it was not for the atomic bombs, he would have been part of the second line of LCTs for the invasion of Japan. In his opinion, the atomic bombs saved his life, and millions of other lives. After the war, his LCT continued to transport supplies. In December 1945, Kerr enlisted into the regular Navy and remained in service for 30 years. When he heard about the surrender of Japan, he was so happy. He wanted to remain in the Navy because he enjoyed the work and wanted to continue to serve his country. When he returned to the United States as a First Class Fireman after World War 2, he had a 60-day leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time].

After the war, Richard H. Kerr enlisted into the regular Navy and remained in service for 30 years. His first assignment after World War 2 was in Portland, Oregon on a Patrol Craft to bring it down Astoria, Oregon to be commissioned. Kerr was tired of working in the engine room, so he asked the yeoman [Annotator's Note: enlisted member who does clerical or administrative work] if he could be given a clerical job. The yeoman accepted his request and Kerr's status was changed from fireman to seaman and he began doing clerical work. He eventually moved through the ranks becoming a yeoman and personnel man. After three years, he was transferred back to Great Lakes Naval Station [Annotator's Note: Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois]. He met an old friend from high school, and they have been married for 67 years. He made rank of First-Class Petty Officer and assigned to USS Kenneth Whiting (AV-14). He served during Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 25 June 1950 to 27 July 1953], where he tended to sea planes. Later he helped with recruiting young men to join the Navy and enter OCS [Annotator's Note: officer candidate school]. He became a commissioned officer when the Vietnam War broke out [Annotator's Note: Vietnam War, or Second Indochina War, 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975]. He was assigned to USS Saint Paul (CA-73), which was extensively used in the filming of the motion picture, "In Harm's Way" [Annotator's Note: American film from 1965], staring John Wayne [Annotator's Note: born Marion Michael Morrison, American actor]. One evening he was invited to play a game of bridge [Annotator's Note: playing card game] with John Wayne. Later, he served on the battleship, the USS New Jersey (BB-62) as the administrative officer after it was re-commissioned in 1968. Kerr did a tour in the Vietnam War and then returned to the United States where he was assigned to a Nuclear Weapons Training Center in 1973. He then retired after 30 years of service. He is proud to have served his country in the United States Navy. While he was on the USS New Jersey, they arrived on 20 September 1968 and supported the Marines and Army. They got fired on a couple of times. They left Vietnam in April 1969. He believed at the time, that he was doing his job and what the Navy was asking him to do. In retrospect, America should not go into a war if they do not think they can win. He never received any negative comments for his participation in Vietnam. While he served on the LCT [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft, Tank, LCT-1049] in World War 2, he learned to do all the jobs. Kerr used the G.I. Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] to get a college education. The citizens of the United States were ready to fight in World War 2 compared to the lack of support in Korea and Vietnam.

Richard H. Kerr's most memorable experience is when a kamikaze [Annotator's Note: Japanese Special Attack Units, also called shimbu-tai, who flew suicide missions in aircraft] hit a supply ship that his LCT [Annotator's Note: Landing Craft, Tank, LCT-1049] was tethered to at Okinawa [Annotator's Note: during the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945 at Okinawa, Japan]. He served in World War 2 because the country was at war, and he wanted to serve in the Navy. The war changed his life because he was allowed to be in the Navy. He proud that he had the opportunity to protect his country and preserve its freedom. Most Americans do not think too much about World War 2 today. He does not know what the education system is teaching about the war the students. There should be institutions like the National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and they should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because students will really learn how America contributed to the war. After 30 years in the Navy, he did not have a hard time adjusting to civilian life. He volunteered at a Christian radio station announcing news, and then began working for the program full time. Kerr and a friend went on liberty [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time] together in Chicago [Annotator's Note: Chicago, Illinois]. They found a bar, drank a few beers, and decided to get a tattoo. Kerr got a tattoo of an anchor and then the friend decided he did not want to get one. While he served on the USS New Jersey (BB-62), he and his wife were invited to eat dinner with the captain in his cabin. A sailor that was on leave and died in a car accident. The parents did not report his death to the Navy, so he was listed as AWOL [Annotator's Note: absent without leave] until his parents were finally contacted.