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Leo Howard Kerns was born on June 23, 1924 in Plano, Illinois.
He was one of six children, having three brothers and two
sisters.
Kerns went to high school in Illinois and received
his BSBA from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service
in 1947, continuing on to receive LLB/Juris Doctor Degree
from Georgetown Law School in 1950.
He entered the military
as a Cadet in 1943, receiving his wings and commission
in Jackson, Mississippi in January of 1944. Making Flight
Commander by the age of 20, Kerns flew numerous combat
tours using the P-51, escorting bombers and conducting
strafing missions. He also performed a number of Air-Sea
Rescue Missions and Photo-Recon Missions out of King’s
Cliffe, England.
Kerns is credited with two German aircraft
destroyed and was decorated, receiving the Distinguished
Flying Cross twice and the Air Medal seven times. He mustered
out of the service in November 1945. Kerns went back to
the United States, where he became a member of the Bar
of Illinois, District of Columbia and Supreme Court of
the United States.
He is currently retired and living in
Annapolis, Maryland, and has two children.
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