USMCR Major Walter "Skip" Frear Kimball was born in California on February 3, 1906, the son of John Vernon Kimball (1868-1921) and Marion Frances Featherstone (1872-1948). His father was born in Washington, D.C. and as a young boy moved with his family to San Francisco, California. John would marry Marion on January 8, 1900, in Washoe, Nevada but made their home in San Francisco where their children were born. In 1900, he was a landlord and ten years later a manager in Denver, Colorado. Five years later he had retired to North Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. He returned to the work force in 1920 as a manager of a newspaper just before his death the following year.
As for his son Walter, he began his employment history as a salesman in San Francisco in 1920 before enrolling in the University of California at Berkeley in 1926. There he majored in "Finance" and graduated in c1929. The young man would enlist in the flight program with the US Marine Corps Reserves between 1929 to 1930. It is assumed at that point that he was sent to NAS Pensacola for his flight training. His records reveal that as a 2nd Lieutenant he began yearly aviation training in 1931 with his reserve unit in San Diego with an Observation & Scouting Squadron. On September 9, 1936 he accepted an appointment to 1st Lieutenant with rank from 5-22-1936. By December 1938, he had already been promoted to the rank of Captain.As of 1940, he and Rosa along with their daughter were living in San Mateo, California while he was a commercial pilot with the TWA Airlines. From April 1941 to April 1942, he was stationed a NAS Pensacola as an instructor while living off base at 170 East Brainard Street wit Rosa and Carol.
After WWII began, the US had to prevent the Japanese juggernaut from attacking Australia, which would in turn threaten America's supply lines. To bring this about the high command chose to capture the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon's. The Japanese had built an airfield there that threatened the entire surrounding area. Therefore, the island was selected as the first offensive of the war in the Pacific and would act as a springboard for future operations. But offensives needed supplies so Walter's VMJ-253 squadron was organized in Hawaii on March 11, 1942, and assigned to the Marine Utility Squadron 253, Marine Aircraft Group 25, of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing on June 1. They arrived at their new station at Noumea on New Caledonia on September 1, 1942 and within two days later were flying combat missions over Guadalcanal.
While supporting the fighting on Guadalcanal, Walter's squadron was tasked with transporting Brigadier General Roy S. Geiger (from Pensacola) and his staff to Henderson Field becoming the first combat transport squadron to land there. There, Geiger was to take command of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Throughout the bloody battle Walter and his comrades kept fuel, ammunition, food, and medical supplies constantly arriving for the embattled Marines. On one trip on September 14, 1942, Walter had tangled with a Japanese Nakajima float Zero and survived to talk about it.
Around midnight of October 9, 1942, Major Walter Kimball and his four man crew plus three passengers walked out to their Douglas RAD C-47 transport to begin pre-flight checks. The aircraft was fully loaded with supplies bound for Guadalcanal 1,000 miles away. They had topped off their fuel, made their last-minute calculations, then taxied out to the runway. Applying the brakes and revving up his engines he began racing down the airstrip at 1:15 AM until he achieved lift and rose into the air. Then disaster struck! Evidence indicates that the planes starboard wing struck a navigational beacon tower atop Ousassio Hill. The wing was torn off and the plane flipped over onto the south slope nose down. Some say Walter lost an engine after takeoff, which would have caused the overloaded plane into a fatal stall. Regardless, all eight men aboard were killed instantly. They were all interred the following day at the American cemetery in nearby Nouméa.
The wreckage of Major Kimball's aircraft still rests on the top of Mount Kimball (formerly Ousassio Hill) much as it was eighty years ago. The starboard wing is located at the top of the hill with the rest of the plane is scattered across the southern side of the hill. Part of the fuselage is melted due to the massive fire that consumed the forward part of the aircraft. This fire was fed by the extra 400 gallons of fuel n the auxiliary fuel tanks.
His wife, Rosa Verga Kimball (1914-1979) was notified that her husband was dead. She broke the news to her 3-year daughter Carol (1939-2000) before moving on with her life. Her daughter would follow in her footsteps as a nurse before passing away in 2000 in New York. Following the war, Walter was disinterred and transported home aboard the USAT Honda Knot, which happened to be the first load of American dead brought home after the war. Upon arrival he was buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery
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