Kenneth Roy Wise was born July 7, 1922, in Salinas, California to Robert and Minto Wise. Both of his parents were from New Zealand and arrived together in San Francisco, California on January 15, 1920. They had four children born in California during their 62-year marriage, with Kenneth being the second oldest.

Kenneth was raised in San Diego and graduated from San Diego High School in 1941, then attended Vocational School for four months. From June 1941 until February 1943, he also worked for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation as a Machine Operator.

At 20 years of age, Wise enlisted into the US Army on March 2, 1943 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was a cadet in the Army Air Force Training program from February 27, 1943 until April 15, 1944, then graduated as a Second Lieutenant in Class WFTC 44-D, AAF Pilot School, at Luke Field, in Phoenix, Arizona. While in flight school, he trained in the Vultee BT-13 and North American AT-6. During his active duty, he regularly flew the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

As World War II progressed, Kenneth Wise served as a Bombardment Pilot with the 505th Bomb Group in the Mariana and Philippine Islands. He was also a Tower Operator at LAOAG Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands for three months. In July 1945, as the war was ending, Wise was flying B-29s over Japan. On August 8, he flew with ninety-one other B-29 bombers and made his last drop on Fukuyama, located in the Hiroshima prefecture. The following month, as the formal surrender of Japan took place on September 2, 1945, 2nd Lt. Wise took part in a formation flying of 800 aircraft over Tokyo. He wrote in his personal notebook that he “saw US Fleet in Bay. Flew over as peace document was signed. Quite an historical [event], so they say.”

Wise possessed thorough knowledge of aerodynamics, theory of flight, internal combustion engines, navigation, meteorology, radio aids to flying, and ground maintenance and inspection of aircraft. After his release from active duty, Wise went to work for the City of San Diego as a Radio Technician where he maintained mobile and fixed radio transmitters for police, sheriff, and other Public Works departments.

Kenneth Roy Wise passed away in 2015 at the age of 93.