Clausewitz explained the concept of fog and friction of war to military professionals. In the study of history, many events fall victim to a similar fog and friction especially with the passage of time. The lens of history can often distort or change events. Therefore, a true study of history demands a critical eye to decipher not only what happened, but why. To understand why, we must ascertain the true facts. This article attempts to clear that fog about one such event in American military history, clarifying details of the United States' first air combat of World War II, by concentrating on the actions of one of the participants. Although a great deal of information exists about this event, much of it is erroneous or contradictory. Beyond the recitation of facts, circumstances, and statistics, the most important aspect of this story is the resourcefulness, tenacity and courage of 2d Lt. Kenneth M. Taylor and his squadron-mate, 2d Lt. George Welch, who were the first Americans airborne to confront the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Kenneth M. Taylor was born on December 23, 1919, in a small town called Enid, on the plains of Oklahoma, To start a better life, his parents soon moved eighty-three miles east to the small town of Hominy, located about twenty-five miles northwest of Tulsa. Young Ken grew up there. His childhood was normal for the time. He was a hard working boy who learned from a young age the responsibility and sense of value to the land that come from working diligently day in and day out in the tedium of small town life.
