Posted by XXXXXX on May 1, 2008:

JOHN P. KEAN '48 No. 16744 3 Aug 1926 - 8 Dec 1996 Died in Columbia, SC Interred in Greenlawn Memorial Park, Columbia, SC John "Jack" Patrick Kean was one of this world's finest men, one whose generous life contributed immensely to our nation, our Army, his family and friends, his soldiers, and cadets. Jack was born in Chicago and raised by good, strong, Catholic parents, John and Elizabeth Kean, in whose loving family Jack and his sister Rita formed a close, lifelong bond. Jack excelled in his early pursuits - in high school he was president of his junior and senior classes and was inducted into the school's Sports Hall of Fame after being named a member of the 1943 Illinois All-State Football Team. Jack entered USMA in 1944 with the Classes of '47 and '48. His remarkable sense of humor, which surfaced in Beast Barracks, endured through Plebe year as well as the rest of his cadet days. He was a strong, allaround performer whose infectious optimism strengthened his classmates. The '48 Howitzer noted, "Classrooms and barracks would have been dull without his presence. Jack brought to these fields of friendly strife a radiant enthusiasm and jovial sincerity." Jack's lifelong love of Army football was cemented by his playing A-squad on COL Earl "Red" Blaik's finest teams - unbeaten for three years. Following graduation and the Artillery Basic Course in 1949, Jack was assigned to the 61st Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, and one year later entered heavy combat with his unit in Korea. The 1st Cavalry Division Association historian, then an enlisted man who served under Jack, reports that "the men of A Battery had tremendous respect for LT Kean, who was efficient and audacious in combat. He was most admired." Indeed, Jack was conspicuous in critical situations, including the defense of, and the breakout from, the Pusan Perimeter and two actions against the Chinese People's Army. On 5 Nov 1950, he spontaneously directed a halftrack-mounted quad-50 machine gun to defeat a Chinese surprise attack. Three weeks later, when the battery commander was killed in an engagement along the Chongchon River, Jack took command and "saved A Battery from probable destruction." For each of these actions, Jack was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. Following Jack's return from Korea, he and Therese O'Connor married in the summer of 1952, and departed for a two-year "honeymoon" in Alaska. After completing the Artillery Advanced Course in 1955, Jack returned to West Point for a three-year tour as a tactical officer. Whenever Jack stood on the O.C.'s balcony above South Guard Room, he, no doubt, recalled getting the first major slug in his class for sending an M-1 round through that balcony as he cleared his rifle after walking Night Area Guard. CPT Kean's cadets of L-1 Company developed a lasting high regard for him. The Class of '57 remembers, "It took only a few days for the new TAC to become "Peachy" Kean; it took years for us to appreciate how much he really gave us. From the start, Peachy set the tone - mature professionalism with a human face. "Damned dogged determination" was his mantra, but he also counseled that it was okay to enjoy life on the weekend. Under CPT Kean's leadership, we developed a strong desire to be truly professional, to become a fellow officer in his Army - a worthy calling! It is a measure of Jack's reputation among his cadets, his peers, and his superiors that he was chosen as one of the first exchange tactical officers to the Naval Academy. After Annapolis, Jack, Therese, and their two daughters - Jeannette, born at Ft. Sill, and Linda, born at West Point - traveled to Heidelberg, where son John Christopher was born, and where Jack enjoyed three years with Headquarters, CENTAG. After this rewarding tour in Germany, a succession of challenging assignments and events followed - University of Alabama for a master of science degree, command of the 16th Field Artillery Battalion in the 2d Armored Division, the National War College, Pentagon duty in ODCS\P, selection below the zone to colonel, and induction into the Ancient Order of Saint Barbara before command of the 1st Division Artillery in Viet Nam from 1969 - 70. On his return from Viet Nam, Jack had two significant assignments at Ft. Jackson - Commander of the Army Selection Center, followed by three years as Director of Plans and Training for the Army's largest training center. Jack and Therese liked Columbia, SC, so well that, on Jack's retirement in 1976, they made it their home. Jack then embarked on a new and interesting career as Special Investigator for the Attorney General of South Carolina. Always gregarious, Jack relished the new friends, new experiences, new challenges and especially the quality time he could spend with his family. Therese and the children flourished in the settled life of a permanent home with their loving husband and father. The health problems that surfaced for Jack in the early 1990s developed into heart and lung complications. In the hospital on 7 Dec 1996, Therese, John and Jack together watched film clips of those great Army-Navy games of 1944, 1945, and 1946, before seeing Army win another great Army-Navy game, 28-24. During his last day on this earth, that big, strong, lovable, wonderful guy was happy. As he held the hands of Therese and John, tears filled his eyes - happy memories. The next morning, Jack eased into a coma and crossed over to his proper place in that heroic assembly of the Long Gray Line. We - the family, classmates and countless friends who mourn - will not see his like again, but we take comfort in realizing how we and the world around us have been enriched by the life of the Jack Kean we were privileged to love and admire. Well done, Jack. Be thou at peace. Family, classmates, former cadets, and friends

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