Lieutenant Colonel Keeling G Pulliam
Keeling Gaines Pulliam Jr was born on November 1st, 1884 in Fayette, Kentucky to Keeling Pulliam and Ada Walpole. He was joined by a brother, Harold, in 1897 once he was enrolled in high school. Keeling had no trouble getting into Kentucky State University in 1912 and the Sigma Nu fraternity. Additionally, he served with the ROTC for two years. Sadly, while driving to attend a fraternity convention in Indianapolis, he was seriously injured in a car accident and confined to a hospital for weeks. His injuries proved costly; he was forced to stop the Mechanical and Electrical Course at the university just three months before graduation and planned to retake it next year.
National Guard In the meantime however, Keeling joined the Kentucky National Guard on October 22nd, 1915, helped found the Kentucky Signal Corps in 1914, and became Company A’s chief electrician. When the KYNG was federalized and sent to the Mexican Border, Pulliam was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and joined them on June 18th, 1916. Their stint near Mexico lasted until March of 1917, where he mustered out of federal service and attended the Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego, California. World War One Service When the United States was dragged into WW1 the next month, 1st Lt Pulliam was already on his way to become Kentucky’s second aviator. Mustering back into Federal service on August 5th, 1917, he completed his flight training the next month, was promoted to Captain, and shipped out to England on December 18th with the 135th Aero Squadron. Captain Pulliam’s service with this unit only spanned a few weeks before he was attached to the British Royal Flying Corps to complete a six week advanced pilot training course at Gosport School and a two week course in aerial gunnery in Scotland. While here, he supposedly requested and was granted detached duty with the London Patrol to gain night flying experience, being injured or wounded by a fall (Lexington Herald Ledger, Dec 28, 1918). After his stint with the British was done on March 4th, Pulliam was assigned to the 21st Aero Squadron on the 14th at Issodun, France, which was a training field, and also commanded Field Number 3 under Major Carl Spatz. |
Pulliam’s Neiuport plane was intricately painted to look like a fish, and was famously nicknamed “The Jazbo.” Reportedly, Captain Pulliam also flew as a volunteer with French Spad Squadron No. 102 during his time overseas and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm for his exploits. Later in the war, Pulliam joined Headquarters, 1st Army until the Armistice was signed on November 11th, 1918, ending the war. Captain Pulliam returned to the United States in December, and was honorably discharged on January 7th, 1919, but was his service completely honorable?
Embellishment of Service?
While overseas, a family friend and fellow brother of Sigma Nu wrote an article on Pulliam about his current war exploits, saying that during a raid over London on January 17th, Pulliam was shot down and wounded. Additionally, the claim that he was awarded the Croix De Guerre and was a part of the London Patrol were also mentioned. Controversy surrounds the claim that Captain Pulliam was wounded on a raid because the raid never happened, and because his service record has no mention of it. A newspaper article did mention him being injured by a fall during supposed service over London, while others state he was wounded. Reports state that it was unclear whether his plane was damaged by the enemy or friendly fire, so it's also possible he was wounded, but just didn’t qualify for a wound stripe. Further, there are no records that state Captain Pulliam was involved in air combat at all, although his WW2 uniform does exhibit a Croix De Guerre award (and many WW1 and WW2 era articles make mention of this), but no Purple Heart. It is unclear whether Pulliam directly participated in this misinformation, but he did send multiple telegraphs home mentioning his participation in the London Patrols.
What is clear however, is the article embellished his service with or without his consent, including the information of him being wounded, but the Croix de Guerre award and his volunteer service may be truthful. It’s also possible that an injury sustained by a possible fall or friendly fire could have been misrepresented or embellished as being a combat wound, but there is no evidence that Pulliam disputed that claim. On the other hand, Keeling did cable many letters home explaining what he was doing overseas, which did mention combat flights with the French. To discredit him based on some missing information would be unfair.
Inter War
Regardless, Keeling returned to his home in Kentucky and proposed to Mary Downing. Just a few months later however, his brother Harold would be killed in a tragic airplane accident as a USN aviator on April 4th. “Harold Pulliam died while flying directly over the main street of Norfolk, Virginia; he was assigned to the Hampton Roads Naval Air Station. He crashed in front of the Hotel Chamberlain, was pinned beneath the engine with both legs broken, was rushed to the hospital, operated upon, but died as he was coming out from under the influence of the anesthetic.” This event crushed the Pulliam family, but Keeling went through with his wedding plans on April 22nd and later moved to California after having four children, one of whom was named after his brother Harold. While away from his home town in Kentucky, he was still heavily involved with his former fraternity and became a Los Angeles business executive of his own business, Pulliam Corporation from 1924 to 1928. Later, he was president of the Allied Petroleum Corporation.
Embellishment of Service?
While overseas, a family friend and fellow brother of Sigma Nu wrote an article on Pulliam about his current war exploits, saying that during a raid over London on January 17th, Pulliam was shot down and wounded. Additionally, the claim that he was awarded the Croix De Guerre and was a part of the London Patrol were also mentioned. Controversy surrounds the claim that Captain Pulliam was wounded on a raid because the raid never happened, and because his service record has no mention of it. A newspaper article did mention him being injured by a fall during supposed service over London, while others state he was wounded. Reports state that it was unclear whether his plane was damaged by the enemy or friendly fire, so it's also possible he was wounded, but just didn’t qualify for a wound stripe. Further, there are no records that state Captain Pulliam was involved in air combat at all, although his WW2 uniform does exhibit a Croix De Guerre award (and many WW1 and WW2 era articles make mention of this), but no Purple Heart. It is unclear whether Pulliam directly participated in this misinformation, but he did send multiple telegraphs home mentioning his participation in the London Patrols.
What is clear however, is the article embellished his service with or without his consent, including the information of him being wounded, but the Croix de Guerre award and his volunteer service may be truthful. It’s also possible that an injury sustained by a possible fall or friendly fire could have been misrepresented or embellished as being a combat wound, but there is no evidence that Pulliam disputed that claim. On the other hand, Keeling did cable many letters home explaining what he was doing overseas, which did mention combat flights with the French. To discredit him based on some missing information would be unfair.
Inter War
Regardless, Keeling returned to his home in Kentucky and proposed to Mary Downing. Just a few months later however, his brother Harold would be killed in a tragic airplane accident as a USN aviator on April 4th. “Harold Pulliam died while flying directly over the main street of Norfolk, Virginia; he was assigned to the Hampton Roads Naval Air Station. He crashed in front of the Hotel Chamberlain, was pinned beneath the engine with both legs broken, was rushed to the hospital, operated upon, but died as he was coming out from under the influence of the anesthetic.” This event crushed the Pulliam family, but Keeling went through with his wedding plans on April 22nd and later moved to California after having four children, one of whom was named after his brother Harold. While away from his home town in Kentucky, he was still heavily involved with his former fraternity and became a Los Angeles business executive of his own business, Pulliam Corporation from 1924 to 1928. Later, he was president of the Allied Petroleum Corporation.
World War 2
When the United States entered World War Two in 1941, Pulliam was recalled back into service on July 2nd, 1942 as a Major stationed at the maintenance division of San Bernardino Air Service Command. On July 17th, 1943, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and continued his work training pilots and keeping planes in working order. As the war drew to a close, Pulliam and his family got the tragic news that their son, Lieutenant Harold W Pulliam, was killed in action over China while flying his P38 on July 24th, 1945. This was understandably a crushing blow to the family, but especially Keeling, as he lost both his brother and son that shared the same name to flight related events. It is unknown what Keeling did after WW2, although there are mentions of him retiring as a General, but his dual war service earned him a spot in history as an early pioneer of the US air service and the second Kentucky National Guard member trained as an aviator, and an accomplished one at that. He sadly passed away on November 14th, 1974 after contracting pneumonia. |