NavHist - The Indestructible Man: The Incredible True Story of the Legendary Sailor the Japanese Couldn’t Kill

Reviewed by LCDR Brian Hayes, USNR (Ret.)

The Indestructible Man tells the story of Dixie Kiefer, a naval officer and aviator who served in several of the legendary battles of World War II’s Pacific Theater. Kiefer has been the subject of profiles by the Naval History and Heritage Command and other Internet and print publications, but Don Keith and David Rocco have written the first book-length account of his life.  Although not a scholarly biography, it is a fast and enjoyable read.

Born in Idaho, Kiefer joined the U.S. Naval Academy’s class of 1919.  The class graduated early because of World War I, and Kiefer spent the first year of his naval career patrolling and clearing mines in the North Sea. After the war, he attended flight training and joined the Navy’s fledgling aviation program. Over the next two decades, Kiefer performed the first night take-off from a vessel, served as an instructor pilot, studied aeronautical engineering, and served in flying and seagoing assignments. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Kiefer was serving as executive officer of a seaplane tender. He was promptly reassigned to the carrier Navy, just as it was about to take center stage in the Pacific Theater.

Kiefer’s assignments placed him at the center of some of the war’s most significant actions – executive officer of USS Yorktown (CV-5) at the Coral Sea and Midway, then skipper of USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) during the invasion of the Philippines and the approach to Japan. He distinguished himself throughout, receiving the Navy Cross (for heroism in firefighting and lifesaving in Yorktown, despite rope burns and a broken ankle) and the Silver Star (for continuing to fight from Ticonderoga’s bridge despite wounds suffered during a kamikaze attack). After recovering from his injuries in the Ticonderoga action, Kiefer was promoted to commodore and cleared for stateside duty. He finished the war at Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island, commanding both the station and the First Naval District. 

In an ironic twist, Kiefer survived hellish naval combat in the Pacific only to die in a peacetime plane crash in November 1945. In 2013, co-author David Rocco learned of the crash and the presence of wreckage near Beacon, New York, while on a historic restoration project in the area. He shared the story with Don Keith, a journalist and author of military thrillers (including the novel Hunter Killer, now a feature film) as well as popular histories of World War II. The Indestructible Man is the product of their collaboration.

Kiefer’s life is inherently fascinating, and his heroism in three of the Pacific War’s most significant battles will certainly interest students of World War II. Another theme of the book is Kiefer’s informal leadership style, which emphasized positive reinforcement and leadership by personal example. As a result, the book could serve as a useful case study for leadership courses at the midshipman and junior petty officer levels.

Historians should be aware that this is neither a true biography of Kiefer, nor a scholarly work of history. The authors regrettably chose not to include “footnotes or other distractions” (their words).  The book also lacks a bibliography. Despite this lack of sourcing and a disclaimer about having “specifically avoided speculation,” the authors repeatedly present as fact details such as what Kiefer “knew” or felt. They also attribute numerous direct quotations to Kiefer, but the historical circumstances, lack of supporting evidence, and jingoistic tone cast doubt on the accuracy of much of the quoted material. Finally, the authors tend to generalize and romanticize the history. It is unlikely, for example, that “everyone” within an aircraft carrier’s crew had a “sunny mood” while going into combat and did his job “calmly and efficiently.”

Beyond the battle history and tales of Kiefer’s bravery, the book briefly addresses a topic that is of great interest at present: race relations and the role of black sailors. The authors state that, in 1941, “Kiefer made an effort to treat all of his men the same, to make certain black sailors were trained to fight just as their white counterparts were.” If true, this was unusual for the segregated Navy of that era. Keith and Rocco also identify another victim of the Mount Beacon plane crash as Clarence Hooper, a 22-year-old black sailor whose service records include references to having been assigned to, then removed from, “duty involving flying.” The authors imply that the segregated Navy accidentally selected Hooper for flight duty, then rescinded the assignment after realizing his race. These are brief anecdotes in the book but may be of great interest to current naval historians.  Both would benefit from further research. 

I recommend The Indestructible Man to anyone with an interest in World War II carrier combat.  Despite its limitations, the book is a worthwhile introduction to the life and service of an extraordinary officer.  Kiefer’s life deserves a serious, professional biography; perhaps reading this book will inspire a naval historian to write one. 

The Indestructible Man: The Incredible True Story of the Legendary Sailor the Japanese Couldn’t Kill (Don Keith and David Rocco, Stackpole Books, Lanham, Maryland, 2021).

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