Staff Sergeant Kerry Michael Kemp was born on August 8, 1987, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Dwight Eric Kemp and Kristina Goldsby Wild. He spent several years of his early life in the foster care system, but those who loved him say he never let his circumstances define him. In 2003, as a tenth grader, he moved to Port Washington, Wisconsin, where he met his future wife, Jenna Fowler, in high school. He graduated from Port Washington High School in 2005, went to work at Cramer Coil & Transformer and began studying to become a registered nurse at Milwaukee Area Technical College.
Determined to build a better life for himself and his family, Kerry enlisted in the Marine Corps in July 2007. At Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego he pushed through boot camp and was named his company’s “Ironman.” In December 2007 he married his high school sweetheart. After Marine Combat Training he earned the military occupational specialty of artillery mechanic, and in March 2008 he and Jenna moved to Twentynine Palms, California, where he joined Combat Logistics Battalion 7. He was meritoriously promoted to lance corporal, corporal and sergeant, and he deployed to Al Asad, Iraq, as a machine gunner with the battalion’s motor transport company.
Looking for a greater challenge, Kerry set his sights on Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. In September 2010 he began the MARSOC Assessment and Selection Preparation and Orientation Course and then Assessment and Selection Class 01-11. He reported to the Individual Training Course in April 2011 and graduated in May 2012, earning the title of Marine Raider and the specialty of critical skills operator. Assigned to 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he joined Marine Special Operations Team 8231 in November 2012.
In October 2013 Kerry deployed with MSOT 8231 to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As the team’s weapons sergeant he was responsible for the training, maintenance and employment of its weapons systems, and he took part in more than 30 full-spectrum special operations combat missions. He returned home in March 2014 for the birth of his daughter, Makenzie, and soon resumed training with his team for its next deployment.
On the night of March 10, 2015, Kerry and six fellow MARSOC Marines, together with four Louisiana Army National Guard aircrew members, were killed when their UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during a training exercise near Eglin Air Force Base, off Navarre Beach, Florida. He was 27 years old. Port Washington lined its streets with American flags as he came home, and on March 28, 2015, he was buried with full military honors at St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Kerry’s awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat distinguishing device and a gold star in lieu of a second award, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with a bronze star and the Navy and Marine Corps Gold Parachutist Insignia.
His family remembers a man of hard work and unmatched drive, an avid golfer and a jokester. He picked up golf from his father-in-law and, giving the game the 110 percent he gave everything, planned weekend outings to local courses in the hope of one day beating him. He made up silly songs and beatboxed for his daughter and friends, and he was a steady presence of positivity and light. Most of all, he loved being a husband and a father. He is survived by his wife, Jenna, and his daughter, Makenzie.
Kerry participated in over 30 full-spectrum special operations combat missions in Afghanistan. He was an elite Raider, loving husband and devoted father.
MSOT 8231 Teammates
Sources
- Marine Raider Foundation: Staff Sergeant Kerry M. Kemp
- MARSOC: ceremony honors 11 helicopter crash victims
- USNI News: USMC identifies 7 MARSOC Marines killed in Florida helo accident
- FOX6 Milwaukee: Staff Sergeant Kerry Kemp laid to rest in Port Washington
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Kerry Kemp stage bio and honoree website bio sheet
