Kenneth V. Jack

Kenneth V. Jack enlisted in the Navy in July 1959 after graduating from New Kensington High School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated as a Navy photographer from the Navy's Photographic Training School in Pensacola, Florida and was assigned to Light Photographic Squadron 62 (VFP-62), Cecil Field, Florida. The squadron flew the supersonic RF-8A photo Crusaders, with state-of-the-art camera systems that provided photo reconnaissance for the fleet. After a year, the Navy sent him back for advanced training as an electronics photo technician to maintain the photo electronics that controlled the cameras.

Prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, VFP-62 was implementing a high resolution camera called the KA-45, which gave the squadron a competitive edge over other military reconnaissance units. Mr. Jack helped test the camera for the rugged environment on aircraft carriers while assigned with his detachment to the super carrier USS Forrestal (CVA-59) a few months before the crisis errupted. As a consequence, VFP-62 was chosen to fly the first low-level photographic missions over the Soviet nuclear missiles hidden in Cuba. The photography obtained was presented directly to President Kennedy to help him assess the missile threat in Cuba. The squadron was highly decorated for its efforts.

After leaving the Navy, Mr. Jack obtained Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Educational Mathematics from Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh. He also obtained post-graduate credits in Computer Science. He taught advanced mathematics at Valley High School, in New Kensington, PA. for thirteen years and joined Westinghouse Electric Company as a Computer Software Engineer, designing and implementing computer safety code for Westinghouse and Russian nuclear reactor systems.

He an his wife Darlene retired in 2002 to their retirement home in rural northern Pennsylvania where he fishes, reads, writes, and serves as his squadron's webmaster for their website www.vfp62.com. In retirement, he has consulted on several historical television documentaries, one being the History Channel's "Man, Moment, Machine" which highlighted President Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the RF-8A Crusader. He and his squadron members have actively provided technical support for the restored RF-8A at Battleship Park Mobile, Alabama.