[2] In 1937 he was selected as an All-State athlete and as captain of the high school football team, which he led to an undefeated 9–0 season and state title victory.

"Blackburn's Irregulars" earned a reputation as troublemakers at NAS Norfolk, where the men actively sought to sharpen their skills against servicemen in other branches of the military.

Notably, Kepford engaged in a dogfight directly over the town of Norfolk with against a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) pilot flying a P-51 Mustang.

As a result, instead of serving with the rest of Air Group 17 aboard USS Bunker Hill, VF-17 was sent to the New Georgia where United States Marine Corps fighter pilots were already operating the Corsair.

The last few days in October were largely spent flying Dumbo escort and Combat air patrol (CAP) missions, the latter of which proved uneventful.

After two hours with no enemy contact, Kepford's 4-plane division broke off to strafe installations on Shortland Island before returning to Ondonga.

A massed Japanese counterattack was launched in response, and upwards of 110 fighters and bombers were able to follow returning strike aircraft back to their carriers.

[11] The flight schedule for the remainder of November closely mirrors the first half of the month, consisting largely of CAP and strafing missions punctuated by escort duty for bombers striking Bougainville.

One week after his first aerial victories, on 18 November, Kepford and his division discovered VF-17 pilot Lt. (jg) Anderson floating in a raft off Sandinsel Island.

Kepford flew on the second day and shot down two Mitsubishi A6M Zero aircraft, bringing his total to 6 aerial victories and flying ace status.

[16] On 30 January, Kepford led one of four VF-17 divisions flying cover for dive and torpedo bombers striking Simpson Harbor, New Britain.

Kepford hastened back to base with a wrecked wing and damaged hydraulic system, forcing him to land on one wheel and leading the plane to ground loop, causing its loss.

[17] Aerial opposition to the B-24 strike escorted by VF-17 on 3 February was again numerically significant, though this time enemy fighters were reluctant to engage the bombers.

Arriving at the target site, Kepford decided there was enough fighter cover and that he was too vulnerable without a wingman, so he too headed back for home base.

Deciding he was moving too far afield to return to base on remaining fuel reserves, Kepford quickly cut to the left and reversed direction south over the water.

The plane following Kepford on the left side attempted to turn inside to shoot him down, but the pilot misjudged his altitude and struck his wing into the water below, crashing.

VF-17 returned to the United States as the highest scoring squadron to date, credited with 154 enemy planes definitely destroyed in 79 days of combat.

Kepford joined a number of VF-17 alumni in the newly formed squadron and stayed on from summer through early December 1944 while the men trained in the use of rockets, completed carrier qualifications, etc.

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant [then Ensign] Ira Cassius Kepford, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron Seventeen (VF-17), embarked in the USS Hornet (CV-12), in action against enemy Japanese forces in the vicinity of the Solomon Islands, on 11 November 1943.

While covering United States Task Force Fifty Point Three (TF-50.3) in Empress Augusta Bay, Kepford participated in an engagement involving approximately one hundred Japanese aircraft.

Gallantly pressing home his attacks through intense anti-aircraft fire, he destroyed four enemy bombers and damaged another out of a formation of thirty.

[29] The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting a Gold Star in lieu of a Second Award of the Navy Cross to Lieutenant [then Ensign] Ira Cassius Kepford, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Fighter Plane in Fighting Squadron Seventeen (VF-17), embarked in the USS Hornet (CV-12), in action against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands Area, on 29 January 1944.

By his expert airmanship and courage in the face of tremendous odds, Lieutenant Kepford contributed materially to the success of the mission and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.