By John Montesano
The Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club has named Ken Drennen the June 2022 Herschel Luckinbill Veteran of the Month.
Ken was born November 12, 1946 in Aurora, Ill.. He attended East Aurora High School from which he was graduated June 6, 1964. In high school, he played the cornet in the band and was editor of the Auroran newspaper. He had a part-time job in high school with Fox Valley Blueprint.
August 31, 1964, enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was sent to Great Lakes Naval Base for boot camp and electronic technician school (communications maintenance). In mid-1965, he was assigned to the USS Willis A. Lee (DL-4), a destroyer leader, home docked in Providence, R.I.. He would handle the maintenance of the communications equipment. In 1961, the Willis A. Lee had been altered significantly. Chief among the new equipment installed was a bow-mounted sonar dome, utilizing revolutionary new concepts in underwater sound-ranging. She spent much of her ensuing career involved in sonar evaluations of her bow-mounted system.
When Ken joined his ship, an experimental rubber sonar dome had been put on the ship. To test the new rubber sonar dome, the Willis A. Lee had to slam the bow 25 times in a hurricane, to be sure the rubber would adhere to the metal bow. Consequently, Ken’s first three times at sea, were in a hurricane. It was rather harrowing, because his swimming skills were limited, having only learned how to swim enough to advance out of boot camp. Although, once he got used to it, he considered rough seas rather fun. For the remainder of his time, The Willis A. Lee continued in her routine of sonar development and testing, in operation off the Virginia capes in the Caribbean and Narragansett Bay areas. In November 1966, she was deployed to the Mediterranean to sail to Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. Willis A. Lee returned to Providence, in May 1967, where Ken served the rest of his enlistment. After three years, two months, and 10 days, he was honorably discharged from the Navy November 10, 1967 and returned to Aurora.
Six months earlier, when on leave, he lined up a job with Illinois Bell, therefore, he started working November 13, 1967 for Illinois Bell/Ameritech/SW Bell(SBC)/Ameritech. In 1991, Ken received an award from Illinois Bell for his work on the development of the 911 system. He progressed from craftsman to central office foreman to second level supervisor. He retired June 1, 1999 after 33 years of service.
Shortly after returning home from the Navy, December 2, 1967, Ken married Kathy, whom he had met in junior high. They have two children and four grandchildren. He and Kathy live in Oswego, Ill.. Since retirement, Ken has occupied his time with woodworking, camping, gardening, hunting, and mostly genealogy. He and Kathy have been camping at Rolling Oaks campground for several years. They frequently attend estate auctions, and have wonderful wood furniture in their home. Ken has been turkey-hunting for 20 years in Keithsburg, Ill., but, mostly, he has been immersed in genealogy since his children were in junior high school.
On the Drennen side, he tracked four brothers from Belfast, Ireland, who settled in McKeesport, Pa. in the early 1600s. Eventually, all the families served in the U.S. Revolutionary War. He tracked many of his and Kathy’s relatives from the 1600s to 1800s, in Boston, Mass., New Haven, Conn., and Illinois, some who served in the U.S. Civil War.
Ken is a frequent attendee at the Fox Valley Veterans Breakfast Club, where he was presented with a Quilt of Valor. He was honored for his service on an Honor Flight Chicago.