Col. Ken Deans, STMA Class of 1930, spoke to the senior cadets about his experiences in the Army, specifically his time in Hawaii and December 7, 1941.

BIO:
Col. Deans was born in Dellwood, MN, in 1912. He graduated from STMA in 1930. During his time at the Academy he was an honor Cadet all four years, he was a member of the Rifle Team and the Kaydet staff, he ran track, and was the XO and commander of Alpha Company.

After the Academy, he entered St. Thomas College and graduated in 1934 with a degree in engineering. He served in the Army Reserves until 1939 when he was called to active duty. Due to his training at STMA and in the Reserve, he entered as a second lieutenant.

He married his wife of more than 60 years, Mildred, and they departed for their first tour of duty – Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, Hawaii – this was April 1941.

On the morning of December 7th, Col. Deans was sleeping in their home, 25 feet from the Pacific Ocean, and his wife was walking along the beach. She noticed a great number of aircraft, flying low, heading toward Pearl Harbor with strange markings. She woke her husband and they watched together – knowing something was wrong – then they felt the ground rumble and heard the explosions. In a matter of minutes their life changed forever.

Col. Deans spent the next few weeks preparing for a Japanese infantry assault on the Hawaiian Islands. His wife spent countless hours helping care for the wounded as a medical technician.
They were separated for the next two years, as Col. Deans shipped out to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese. He participated in numerous island-hopping campaigns, but finally was reassigned back to the U.S. in late 1943.

Over the next 15 years, he was part of the foundation that developed the Army’s rocket and nuclear missile program. He worked with such notable scientists as Werner Von Braun and he commanded one of the Army’s first rocket battalions. Col. Deans retired from the Army in 1959 and returned to Minnesota.

He and his wife raised six children in Mahtomedi, MN. He is an active member of the local community and often speaks to schools and veteran organizations.