KENNETH PELTIER: Oklahoma Farm Boy, Athlete, Patriot and Family Man

Kenneth Eugene Peltier, Sr., was born the tenth child of a family of 12, January 6, 1923, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was destined to be one of the "Greatest Generation." He helped his family through tough times, played sports at Shawnee High School and got married while still a student, a marriage that was to last 46 years. After Pearl Harbor he entered NYA welding school then worked in the shipyards in California. While there heplayed semi-pro football. He joined the navy and was on the...
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Kenneth Eugene Peltier, Sr., was born the tenth child of a family of 12, January 6, 1923, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He was destined to be one of the "Greatest Generation." He helped his family through tough times, played sports at Shawnee High School and got married while still a student, a marriage that was to last 46 years. After Pearl Harbor he entered NYA welding school then worked in the shipyards in California. While there heplayed semi-pro football. He joined the navy and was on the carrier USS Franklin when it was bombed, killing hundreds of his shipmates. At the end of the war and back in Shawnee Kenneth ran a grocery store then was at Tinker AFB until he retired. He was involved in Potawatomi Tribal affairs. After the death of his wife he married again and told her of growing up in the country, playing football, life in the navy, raising his four children . . . the highlights and sad days of his life. She transcribed the stories, making copies for his family. At his death it was obvious his story, one of so many of his generation, needed to be told. He was an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life.