Please click here to view a student eulogy for Kenneth Reusser recorded at Willamette National Cemetery in 2026: https://youtu.be/vsHwglo2ZW8

Bibliography

Primary Sources
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“Experimental blimp-type airship crashed and burns, killing one.” St. Petersburg Times [St. Petersburg, Florida], July 2, 1986. Newspapers.com (321055630).

Fred C Reusser. Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom. 

Gertrude Palm Grieb. Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom. 

“Grads.” The Free Lance-Star [Fredericksburg, Virginia], June 8, 1962. Newspapers.com (866932978). 

K1 Kenneth Reusser. U.S. Navy and Marines Awards and Decorations, 1924-1994. Digital Images. Ancestry Classroom.
 
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NAS Tillamook, blimps inside hangar. Photograph. Tillamook County Pioneer Museum Collection, Oregon Historical Society. https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/naval_air_station_tillamook_tillamook_air_museum/. 

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Kenneth Reusser’s headstone in the Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, March 16, 2026. Courtesy of Stefanie Spivey.

Kenneth Reusser's headstone in the Willamette National Cemetery.

Students from Heppner High School honor Kenneth Reusser at Willamette National Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, March 16, 2026. Courtesy of Stefanie Spivey.

Three students stand behind a row of graves. They are reading from papers.

An article in The St. Petersburg Times, outlining the Heli-Stat crash, July 2, 1986.

A newspaper article titled, Experimental Blimp-Type Airship Crashes and Burns, Killing One.

Kenneth Reusser in uniform after his retirement. Oregon Military Museum Project.

A black and white image of an elderly White man in a Marine dress uniform.

Letter from the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps outlining Reusser’s military service upon his retirement, July 31, 1968 (page 2). National Archives and Records Administration.

Letter from the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps outlining Reusser’s military service upon his retirement, July 31, 1968 (page 1). National Archives and Records Administration.

The 1950 Census shows the Reusser family living in Santa Ana, California. National Archives and Records Administration.

A feature in the local Fredericksburg, Virginia, shows Reusser and his daughter graduating in the same week. He, from George Washington University, and she from Quantico Post High School. The Free Lance-Star, June 8, 1962.

A black and white image of a man in a black graduation cap and gown standing behind a young woman.

Letter from the president awarding Reusser a Gold Star in lieu of a second Distinguished Flying Cross, for heroic actions attached to USS Sicily, 1950. National Archives and Records Administration.

Testimony of Reusser’s Wingman, First Lieutenant Klingman, regarding his actions on May 10, 1945. National Archives and Records Administration.

A typed letter outlining Reusser's award.

Kenneth Reusser in the cockpit of an F4U Corsair. Find a Grave.

A young pilot sitting in an airplane cockpit.

The 1940 Census shows the Reusser family living in Portland, Oregon. Father, Fred, is a Baptist minister, and Kenneth is in college. National Archives and Records Administration.

Willamette National Cemetery

Grave marker image for (KENNETH REUSSER).

KENNETH LYLE REUSSER

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45.46298753, -122.53277566

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