POND-ZENNETH

 

KILLED  IN  ACTION  AT  GUADALCANAL

Source:  Website of missingmarines.com -  Webmaster: Geoffrey Roecker

Zenneth Arthur Pond was born on December 7, 1919, in Jackson, Michigan, a typical American boy who shared a paper route with his brother.  He graduated from Jackson High School in 1938 and attended Jackson Junior College.  Pond’s great love was flying and he studied aviation through the Civil Aeronautics Administration and became the first in his class to earn a private pilot’s license in 1940.  In June of 1941, Pond enlisted in the Marine Corps and immediately began flight training.  His civilian experience enabled him to almost immediately skip to the top of his class at NAS Corpus Christi.  He was preparing to celebrate his 22nd birthday when news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor reached the base.  On February 19, 1942, Second Lieutenant Pond received his official appointment as a Marine Corps aviator, with orders to report to the Second Marine Aircraft Wing in San Diego.  Once in California he was assigned as a Grumman F4F Wildcat pilot to a newly formed squadron, Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223), on May 1, 1942.  The squadron soon became the first fighter squadron to be based at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal where they became dubbed as part of the “Cactus Air Force” and represented the only reliable American air power on the island.

 

On August 24, just four days after his arrival on Guadalcanal, Pond had his first serious encounter with the Japanese.  At 1420, the air raid alert sounded, and the Marines ran for their aircraft as approximately 27 enemy fighters and bombers approached Henderson Field.  Pond’s group caught up with the Japanese as they retreated from their bomb run and fell upon the enemy like wolves.  Pond not only survived his first fight but shot down two bombers and one Zero fighter.  The fight was a lopsided success for the Americans who landed “hilariously elated” in the words of historians as they claimed seventeen enemy aircraft destroyed.  Pond flew again on August 26 and did not score but an interception on August 29 netted him a Zero, though a bullet through the engine forced him into an emergency landing.  A flight on August 30, after sitting ready in his fighter for nearly 12 hours, brought down another enemy fighter, bringing his total number of kills to five and elevating him to the status of fighter ace.  Pond was laconic about his score.  “I just squeezed the trigger and just let him have it as he came up in front of me. I blew him to bits,” he told a Marine Corps correspondent.

 

Pond had a close call on September 5 when a Japanese gunner almost got the best of him.  Although during the engagement he brought down a bomber, his 6th kill, Pond’s Wildcat was badly shot up and the engine quit while he was returning to base.  His flying skill saved his life as he made a “dead stick” landing back at Henderson but the Wildcat was not so lucky and was deemed damaged beyond repair.  In addition to another notch on his scorecard, Pond showed off a mark on his arm where a bullet had grazed him, nearly breaking the skin.

Pond took off in his Wildcat to repel yet another Japanese air raid on the morning of September 10, 1942.  He and three other pilots opposed 46 enemy planes and facing those odds Pond’s luck ran out.  His aircraft disappeared during the dogfight, his plane was not found and Lieutenant Pond was never seen again.  On April 14, 1943, Pond was awarded a posthumous promotion to Captain and the Navy Cross.  CAPT Pond’s name has been inscribed on memorial monuments at the American Cemetery and Memorial in Manila, Philippines, and at Woodland Cemetery in Jackson County, Michigan.

 

NAVY  CROSS  CITATION

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Second Lieutenant Zenneth Arthur Pond , United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession while serving as a Pilot in Marine Fighting Squadron TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE (VMF-223), Marine Air Group TWENTY-THREE (MAG-23), FIRST Marine Aircraft Wing, in aerial combat with enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands from 20 August 1942 to 13 September 1942.  Alone, and with utter disregard for his own personal safety, Second Lieutenant Pond courageously attacked and shot down six enemy planes.  His outstanding valor and skillful airmanship were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

 

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)