2nd Lt. Keith Hafen

WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY     (Washington County, Utah)

KEITH LELAND HAFEN

(local man and pilot killed in World War II)

BIOGRAPHY

Keith Leland Hafen was born August 20, 1921 in Santa Clara, Utah.

Keith attended Dixie Junior College where he was a member of the Dixie Hellcats. The Hellcats were a group of enthusiastic fliers who were a part of the government sponsored reserve pilot training program.

Keith entered military service January 6, 1941 and served with the U. S. Army Air Corps.

On March 31, 1943 2nd Lt. Hafen was co-pilot on a B-17F "Flying Fortress" based at Molesworth, England. His plane was part of a flight of 20 planes that took off to bomb the Wilton Shipyards, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. As they were climbing out through a solid overcast in the vicinity of Wellington, Lt. Hafen's plane collided with another bomber. The planes crashed and Lt. Hafen was killed.

The St. George VFW Post is named in his memory along with Garth Cottam.


FAMILY

Parents and Siblings:
    Leland "Lee" Hafen
    Elsie Barbara Frei Hafen  
        Maxine Hafen
        Keith Leland Hafen
        Clark Jacob Hafen
        Stanley Harmon Hafen
        Richard Lee Hafen

(9/1/1895-11/23/1959)   (married 12/12/1917)
(8/4/1897-11/23/1955)
(10/12/1918-9/23/2009)   (married Darrell Phillip Spencer)
(8/20/1921-3/31/1943)
(4/9/1926-6/24/1989)
(7/19/1931-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Carol Jean Peterson)
(11/6/1939-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Marti Ann McClanathan)


PHOTOS

2nd Lt. Keith Leland Hafen
WCHS-02257     2nd Lt. Keith Leland Hafen

Other WCHS photos:
WCHS-02258     Photo of the American Memorial Chapel within London's St. Paul's Cathedral
WCHS-02259     Photo of the memorial plaque and Roll of Honour in the American Memorial Chapel
WCHS-02260     Photo of the page of the Roll of Honour with 2nd Lt. K. L. Hafen's name


REFERENCES

Biography of Keith Leland Hafen
by Richard & Marti Hafen

Faded Valor
by Clark N. Nelson, Sr.
Memories of World War II and some of it's local heroes, including Keith Leland Hafen (pp. 8-10, 18).

Notes on Keith's final mission