William R. "Killer Kane" Kane
Captain, U.S. Navy

William R. Kane was born on 4 June 1911 in San Rafael, CA.

Kane graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD, in 1933, was commissioned an Ensign, and became a Naval Aviator. His nickname, "Killer," actually came from his football and wrestling days at Annapolis; it had nothing to do with the war.

On 7 December 1941, Kane was a Lieutenant Commander stationed at Navy Air Command at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, HI. He and his wife, Madeline, lived with their two young children, Bill (a toddler) and Judith (still a baby), next to a runway in a bungalow placed in a row of houses several hundred feet from the USS Arizona on Ford Island. When the Japanese attacked that morning, Kane was just being relieved as Officer of the Day (OOD).

Kane went on to command a fighter squadron from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the Pacific Theater of Operations. During the WWII, he was designated an "Ace" after shooting down a number of Japanese airplanes. He was promoted to Captain in January 1944.

After the war, Kane served in the Military Navy Training Section and was Commanding Officer of the USS Saipan. He was killed in a jet plane crash at age 45.

Medals and Awards

Navy Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (2 Awards)

Badges

Naval Aviator Badge

Death and Burial

Captain William R. Kane died on 5 February 1957 in a plane crash at Augusta, GA. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

Kane's wife, Madeline Kane Hurlburt, died on Tuesday, 24 October 2006, at age 94. She is buried with her husband.