John Kennard

John V.O. Kennard (Col ’68, Darden ’73) has published a book, D-Day Journal: The Untold Story of a U.S. Ranger on Omaha Beach (Koehler Books). In anticipation of the 75th anniversary of D-day (June 6, 2019), the book is based on previously unpublished letters written by the author’s father, Frank L. Kennard, a 22-year-old Lieutenant fresh out of Yale University who volunteered and trained in England with the newly formed 2nd Ranger Battalion. Landing under intense fire in the first hours of D-Day, Kennard’s Ranger cannon platoon lost their equipment and half the men. He and his seven remaining men overcame enormous odds to help achieve the Rangers’ objective at Pointe du Hoc: to take out the big German guns overlooking Normandy beaches and hold the ground. Lt. Kennard soon became battalion adjutant and served through every Ranger battle to the end of the war. After 75 years, his journal of the battalion is the first published record of vivid wartime experiences written by a Ranger with Kennard’s perspective.