GENERAL LARRY R. KEITH

GENERAL LARRY R. KEITH

NORMAN V. KELLY

Anyone who knows my work knows that I do not write about people unless they were born in Peoria, Illinois or lived here for a time. This year I have made a special effort to seek those folks out and talk about them on radio and in some cases I did a feature article on that person. Peoria has a long list of people that went on to be famous, infamous or a major celebrity. I would like to tell you about a man that I am certain you never heard of unless you went to school with him. After that there was only one big story about him that made headlines here in Peoria.

His name was Larry Richard Keith and he was born here on June 21, 1935. He went to McKinley Grade School and graduated from Manual in 1953. He was no great scholar and as a matter of fact was not very interested in school. He even ran away a couple of times, but his life was to turn around and lead him to a place a lot of young men can only fantasize about and that was the ‘Great blue yonder.’

Larry grew up here with his parents and his two sisters Gloria and Sherry, down in the South End of Peoria. About the only job I can remember Larry having was with a company called ABC. As I mentioned Larry was not crazy about school and it amazes me that he went on to get his degree in Economics from the University of Tampa in 1970 and his Master of Science degree from Auburn University in 1972, a remarkable accomplishment, I must say. Once he joined the United States Air Force he continued his advanced education by graduating from the Air Command and Staff College in 1973, Armed Forces College in 1974 and the Naval War College in 1979. It hurts my brain just to think about all that from a shy young man from Peoria, Illinois. Larry entered the Air Force as an airman with the 169th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron out at our airport. I remember talking to him and he was a long way from flying airplanes when he told me that basically what he did was just “wash the airplanes.” Larry had bigger plans than that in his head, and it did not take him long to begin an odyssey that would end beyond even his wildest dreams.

Just a year later Keith entered the Aviation Cadet Program in Texas and earned his pilot’s wings in Arizona in 1956. He was on his way and the only place to look was up. While in Arizona he graduated from gunnery school and then returned to The Air National Guard in Peoria as a fighter pilot. Young Lieutenant Larry Keith was done washing airplanes. In October of 1961, Larry joined the regular Air force and remained out at the 169th for another year. He was then sent to MacDill Air Force base where he flew the F-84 Thunder Jet and the F-4 Phantom. I remember playing golf with him at MacDill and he kidded me about looking at every airplane that flew over. “Norm, you can’t beat me if your mind is up there.”

Larry was assigned to an air base in Okinawa where he commanded a squadron before being assigned to an air force base in Thailand. From that base major Larry Keith flew 108 Combat Missions over North Vietnam in his F-4 Fathom. It was at that time during 1966 when he was credited with downing an enemy Mig-17. That hit the headlines here in Peoria and after that we never heard another word about the brave young pilot from Peoria, Illinois. His fearless leadership and combat skills earned him the Legion of Merit with oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal and Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters. Colonel Keith also earned other medals from foreign countries.

Colonel Keith was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and was a vice-commander of an air base in Spain. In 1982 he was the group commander of a base located in Germany. He served as a general officer with the Air Force in the Pentagon and a commander of a base in Germany before he finally retired. General Larry R. Keith was a fighter pilot with just over 4,500 hours in the air serving his country and fulfilling his dream to be the best pilot and officer he could possibly be. My brother-in-law, and my wife’s brother, Larry Keith died of an inoperable brain cancer on June 21, 1999. He was a quiet, unassuming brave warrior without a boastful bone in his body. Editor’s Note: Norm is a Peoria historian, author and a monthly contributor to NEWS and VIEWS. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net