Gentlemen,
It is my sad duty to inform you that on 5 December 2023, Golden Eagle MajGen Dennis T. “Jersey” Krupp, USMC (Ret), made his Last Take Off in Norfolk, VA, with his wife Pattyanne and daughter Jersey Ann by his side. Jersey was born on 14 July 1947 in Jersey City, New Jersey and grew up there. He was a gifted athlete who swam and ran at Dickerson High School, receiving multiple college scholarships. He attended Jersey City University in 1965 and enlisted in the Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course (PLC), which led to a commission as a Second Lieutenant upon college graduation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics on 3 June 1969, and he and Pattyanne Dante were married 8 June. They were high school sweethearts and first met when Pattyanne was 15 and Jersey was 16.
Jersey reported to NAS Pensacola, FL, for flight training immediately afterward and earned his Wings of Gold in December 1970. His next stop was with the F-4B Phantom II Fleet Replacement Squadron, VMFAT-101, at MCAS Yuma, AZ. In December 1971 he was assigned to the VMFA-323 Death Rattlers, at MCAS El Toro, CA, until April 1973 when Jersey reported to the VMFA-115 Silver Eagles, in Nam Phong, Thailand. VMFA-115 and other squadrons had been located at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, and moved to Nam Phong to support air operations to counter the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive. The advance party arrived to find basically an airfield and parking apron in the middle of the jungle. The Seabees were soon clearing the jungle and tents were hastily constructed to sleep and work in. The base soon came to be called, “The Rose Garden,” after the song by Lynn Anderson and the Marine recruiting campaign based on it, saying, “We never promised you a rose garden.” Combat operations from The Rose Garden wound down in the late fall of 1973 and Jersey flew “115’s” final combat sortie from The Rose Garden and Thailand, ending Vietnam combat operations. He had flown 40 combat missions and was re-assigned to 2D Battalion, 4th Marines as the Air Liaison Officer aboard USS Okinawa.
In January 1975 Jersey reported to the VMA-131 Diamondbacks, flying the A-4E from NAS Willow Grove, PA. He returned to the Phantom II in April 1976 when he was posted to MCAS Beaufort, SC, with the VMFA-251 Thunderbolts. In April 1977 Jersey reported to the VMFA-312 Checkerboards as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer for a deployment to 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, in Iwakuni, Japan. Using Marine KC-130 tankers and a C-9 for transoceanic ATC communications, 312 island hopped from Beaufort, SC, to Iwakuni — a first for the east coast unit deployment program. He was named the Association of Naval Aviation’s Marine Corps “Pilot of the Year" in 1979. In early 1980, Jersey reported to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron-One (MAWTS-1) as a squadron plank holder and F-4 instructor.
A Marine Corps study, “Project 19,” that analyzed Marine Aviation training and readiness, (akin to the Navy’s “Ault Report” on the Navy fighter performance in Vietnam) was the driving force behind the creation of MAWTS-1 and the very best instructors from around the Marine Corps were assigned to the initial cadre, with Jersey among them. He and two other instructor pilots were tasked to overhaul low altitude tactics and training for Marine Aviation. Jersey was a key architect of what became the fixed-wing low altitude tactics training (LATT) program for Marine Aviation, and eventually Naval Aviation. The program was transformational against the threats of the day, dramatically increasing TACAIR capabilities while reducing accident rates and the high losses of aircraft and aircrew in the low altitude environment. He somehow managed to complete a Master of Art in Management from the University of Phoenix at the same time, graduating in 1982.
In January 1983 Jersey reported to F/A-18 Hornet transition training at VFA-125 in NAS Lemoore, CA, among the earliest Marine pilots to do so. In June he joined the VMFA-531Grey Ghosts. While there, he temporarily returned to MAWTS-1 as a Hornet instructor for the semiannual Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course for the first class of F/A-18 students where he was instrumental in helping to launch the new F/A-18 Weapons and Tactics Training Program. In June of 1984 with a USS Coral Sea deployment workup on the horizon, Jersey re-joined the VMFA-323 Death Rattlers, this time as its Executive Officer. Coral Sea and its Carrier Air Wing was the first Hornet deployment for the new strike fighter. As Coral Sea was preparing to leave the Mediterranean, President Reagan decided to carry out air strikes, code named Operation El Dorado Canyon, against Libya, in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing 10 days earlier. Coral Sea made a high-speed run from North of Sicily through the Straits of Messina to strike the Benina air base outside Benghazi and provide fighter and suppression support for the USS America and Coral Sea strike packages. Jersey flew a SAM suppression mission during the strike and was the first Marine to employ the HARM in combat.
In June 1986 he fleeted up to become VMFA-323’s Commanding Officer, serving in that role until July 1988 and deploying the squadron to the expeditionary airfield at 29 Palms, CA, another first in Marine aviation. Duty in Washington finally caught up with Jersey after more than two years of squadron command and he was assigned to the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Aviation (DCS Air) as the F/A-18 and Missile Requirements Officer. He was quickly selected for Top Level School and attended National War College from June 1989 until June 1990. Duty as the Chief of Staff, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing at NAS New Orleans followed and he was back in the cockpit, flying Hornets, C-12s, and T-39s. In April 1992 he underwent transition training in the AV-8B Harrier and in June assumed command of Marine Air Group-12 (MAG-12) in Iwakuni, Japan. He flew the Hornet and Harrier for two years as the MAG commander and led efforts to create exercise Southern Frontier which deployed MAG-12 aircraft to Darwin, Australia, for low altitude and air-to-ground training. Joint duty at Joint Forces Command followed in August 1994 where Jersey developed and executed the first Unified Endeavor exercises that trained Joint Task Force Component Commanders. He was selected for Brigadier General in January 1995.
In June 1995 he reported to the National Military Command Center (NMCC) and in September 1996 assumed command of 3D Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3D MEB) in Okinawa, Japan, where he continued to fly the Hornet. In July 1998 he was assigned to the CNO’s staff as the Director of Expeditionary Warfare (N85) until the summer of 2000. Jersey assumed command of 2D Marine Aircraft Wing (2D MAW) at Cherry Point, NC, in June, flying the Hornet, EA-6B Prowler, and MV-22 Osprey, among many others. He was responsible for introducing the Osprey to the operating forces and transitioning from the legacy CH-46 fleet to the V-22’s transformational capabilities. He requalified in the Hornet aboard ship, the first Marine General Officer to do so. Jersey retired in September 2002.
Jersey served for more than 33 years, the great majority of it in the cockpit, flying 5,548 flight hours, while making 200 carrier arrested landings. He flew 49 combat missions in Vietnam and during Operation Eldorado Canyon, commanded VMFA-323, MAG-12, 3D MEB, and 2D MAW, and was a tactics and training developer and innovator for his entire career. He “paid it forward” every day and helped make Naval Aviation better. Jersey received the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with 2 Gold Stars, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Medal with Numeral “2,” and many others.
Following retirement from active duty, Jersey became Northrop Grumman’s VP for Naval Ranges and Program Manager for the Combined Tactical Training Ranges. In concert with senior Northrop Grumman Technical Service leadership, he developed a plan to merge two major Naval range support efforts into the Combined Tactical Training Range, improving training range performance and greatly increased proficiency for its users. In 2009 he joined TRAX International as its Chief Operating Officer, managing major acquisitions, creating efficiencies, and increasing revenue by 34% in two years. In 2011 he founded Diverse Technology Korps, served as its President, while providing logistics, range, facility, base support, engineering, aircraft operations, and IT services.
Jersey is survived by his loving wife Pattyanne and daughter Jersey Ann. Arrangements are being planned for Arlington National Cemetery. Details will be provided when they are available. He will be missed.
In sadness,
Keith Stalder Pilot |
