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Thirteen Airmen Remembered 48 Years After Fatal Training Collision

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

A new memorial headstone honors 13 victims from a 1972 military aircraft crash that occurred nearby in Horry County, South Carolina. The headstone and a historical roadside marker were unveiled after a dedication ceremony at Berea Baptist Church Dec. 5, 2020.

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

A new historical roadside marker honors 13 victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision that occurred in Horry County, South Carolina. The marker and a memorial headstone were unveiled during dedication ceremony at Berea Baptist Church in Aynor, South Carolina, Dec. 5, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jim Bove)

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

A new historical roadside marker honors 13 victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision that occurred in Horry County, South Carolina. The marker and a memorial headstone were unveiled during dedication ceremony at Berea Baptist Church in Aynor, South Carolina, Dec. 5, 2020. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jim Bove)

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Vanoni, commander, 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, addresses the crowd during a memorial dedication at Berea Baptist Church in South Carolina Dec. 5, 2020. The ceremony honored 13 victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision that occurred nearby. One aircraft, a C-130H Combat Talon, originated from Pope Air Force Base carrying 12 Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jim Bove)

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

Horry County resident Greg Tyler addresses the crowd during a memorial dedication at Berea Baptist Church in South Carolina Dec. 5, 2020. The ceremony honored 13 victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision that occurred nearby. Tyler was a child when he witnessed debris from the crash falling from the sky. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jim Bove)

Photo from ceremony honoring victims of a 1972 training crash held on Dec. 5, 2020.

U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. David Najera, superintendent; Chaplain (Maj.) David Del Prado; Chaplain (Ret.) David Bobbey; and Col. Joseph Vanoni, commander, all assigned to the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, stand alongside a new historical roadside marker in Horry County, South Carolina. The marker honors 13 victims from a 1972 military aircraft crash that occurred nearby, 12 of which came from Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jim Bove)

AYNOR, South Carolina --

Thirteen victims of a 1972 military aircraft collision were honored during a ceremony in Horry County, South Carolina Dec. 5, 2020.

U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Vanoni, commander, 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group, Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, served as the keynote speaker, honoring 12 U.S. Air Force victims assigned to Pope Air Force Base and one South Carolina Air National Guard victim assigned to McEntire Air National Guard Base. The collision occurred during a special operations training mission during the Vietnam War.

“While I don’t exactly know what transpired in those last moments on that fateful night, what I can say is we tragically lost 13 great Airmen, from 11 states, which represented the very best of America,” Vanoni said. “These men were serving their nation, defending our principles, and training for what was likely a deployment to, and in some cases another deployment to, Vietnam.”

The Horry County Council, along with the Horry County Historic Preservation Commission, hosted the ceremony held at Berea Baptist Church in Aynor, South Carolina. It concluded with the unveiling of a memorial headstone and a historical roadside marker near the crash site, which occurred Dec. 5, 1972.

Councilman Al Allen, Hon. Thomas Keegan and three eyewitnesses of the crash shared their thoughts and memories with those in attendance, which included family members of several victims. The collision went mostly unnoticed during a time period long before social media and the internet, but the victims will now be honored in perpetuity for their service.

“Regardless why this recognition hasn’t happened sooner, I am so very grateful that we are here today, exactly 48 years later, to honor these great American Airman so that anyone who happens upon and reads this placard will learn what happened here and will know of these great Airmen’s service and sacrifice,” Vanoni shared.

For the full video of the ceremony, visit: https://www.facebook.com/HorryCountyHistoricPreservationCommission/videos/1322598071434121/
 

IN MEMORY OF

U.S. Air Force

Lt. Col. Donald E. Martin of Texas
Maj. Keith L. Van Note of Iowa
Capt. Douglas S. Peterson of Illinois
Capt. John R. Cole of Oklahoma
Capt. Louis R. Sert of Missouri
Capt. Marshall K. Dickerson of Illinois
2nd Lt. Douglas L. Thierer of Illinois
M-Sgt. Billy M. Warr Sr., of California
M-Sgt. Gilmore A Mickley Jr. of Pennsylvania
T-Sgt. Claude L. Abbott of Georgia
T-Sgt. Robert E Doyle of Virginia
A1C Gerald K. Faust of Wisconsin
 

S.C. Air National Guard

Capt. Thomas C. Haygood Jr. of South Carolina