By Donald Wittkowski
Capt. Brian T. Kennedy was known as the quintessential, “true blue,” all-American type who bravely gave his life for his country.
On Wednesday, members of the Kennedy family and American Legion Post 524 in Ocean City will pay tribute to the fallen Marine helicopter pilot in a quiet, reverent ceremony.
They will first gather for a sunrise ceremony, scheduled for 5:38 a.m., to raise a flag in Kennedy’s honor at the Ocean City Welcome Center on the Ninth Street causeway. They will return at sunset to lower the flag at 8:27 p.m. and present it to the Kennedy family.
A bugler will play “Taps” as the flag is lowered. The ceremony will include Marines and other military veterans.
Ocean City Councilman Michael DeVlieger, a close friend of the Kennedy family, fondly recalled Capt. Kennedy as “the kind of kid you would want your daughter to date and end up getting married to.”
“He was first rate, true blue, an American hero,” DeVlieger continued. “He was straight as an arrow and a nice young man.”
Kennedy, 31, was killed in January when two Marine helicopters collided in midair during a nighttime training mission off Hawaii. He was one of the helicopter pilots. In all, 12 Marines died in the crash.
Tom Tumelty, service officer for American Legion Post 524, said the ceremony in Kennedy’s honor reflects the Post’s dedication to military members as well as its close involvement in the community.
“We try to honor veterans. That’s what we’re about, as well as the community,” Tumelty said.
Post 524 also plans to raise a flag Wednesday in honor of Kennedy at the American Legion building at 33rd Street and Bay Avenue.
The flag ceremony was conceived when Tumelty and Capt. Kennedy’s uncle, Tom Kennedy, reached out to each other through a mutual friend, Dennis Callaghan.
“All of us, being Americans and realizing the sacrifices Marines make on a daily basis, were happy to put it together,” Tom Kennedy said.
The Kennedys’ ties to the shore area include spending summers in Cape May and Ocean City. One of Capt. Kennedy’s uncles, Paul Kennedy, a Roman Catholic priest in Philadelphia, has a home in Ocean City.
Capt. Kennedy is survived by his parents, William and Linda Kennedy, his sister, Caitlin Kennedy, and his wife, Maj. Paige Stull Kennedy, who is also a Marine.
He grew up in Malvern, Pa., graduating from Conestoga High School in 2003. Known as an excellent student-athlete, he enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and majored in oceanography. The Naval Academy said he made the dean’s list every semester, graduating in 2007.
He was commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps and served as a “Super Stallion” helicopter pilot while attached to the Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463 in Hawaii.
An old saying often used to describe the sacrifices made by members of the military on behalf of the country perhaps best exemplified Capt. Kennedy’s service: “All gave some, some gave all.”
The Public is welcomed to attend these ceremonies.
