(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Just a Remembrance [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-05-25
This is just a quick remembrance of those died while serving during the Cold War or in peacetime. These folks didn’t land in Normandy, they weren’t on Iwo Jima or Inchon, they weren’t at Khe Sanh, or Basra, or anywhere else we call a battlefield. Nonetheless, they died while serving. Sometimes they died from mishaps, or as a consequence of leadership stupidity, or from countless other often preventable circumstances. Nonetheless, they died while serving. They died doing work that is often as thankless as it is dangerous. Here are just a few of the many:
In 1983, mechanics at Grand Forks AFB were working on a B-52G. Some were troubleshooting a fuel transfer valve short circuit while others were working on the avionics. The transfer valve overheated and caused the forward body fuel tank to explode. The aircraft collapsed onto the entry hatch, and 5 mechanics burned to death while trying to escape out the pilot and copilot windows. It was January, and their bulky parkas prevented them from fitting through the windows.
In 1987 at Fairchild AFB, Washington, a KC-135 tanker crew was practicing low-level simulated air refueling of a B-52H. This was preparation for an airshow. Both aircraft were flying in close formation with the tanker in trail, just a few hundred feet above the aircraft flightline. As the aircraft turned, jet wash from the bomber’s engines blew into both port engines on the tanker, causing both engines to flame out. In their remaining seconds, the tanker pilots managed to avoid hitting the control tower and fire department, then put the wreck down in a little open field that was surrounded by the flying squadron offices, the liquid oxygen plant, the aircraft maintenance offices, and the base commissary. All 6 onboard were killed, as was 1 person whose car was struck by the wreckage.
In 1987 at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, a KC-10 tanker exploded during ground maintenance. The cause was never determined, but it likely occurred inside the center wing fuel tank. The aircraft collapsed, but 3 of 4 mechanics were able to escape the burning wreckage. 1 did not.
In 1999 a C-130 cargo aircraft with 94 onboard touched down a half-mile short of the runway at a base in Kuwait. The crew was able to maintain control as the aircraft bounced back into the air, then successfully landed the stricken aircraft. Unfortunately, hard contact with the ground had driven the aft landing gear upward, which caused parts of the struts to punch into the cargo bay, killing 3 mechanics in their troop seats.
All told, at least 400 troops died on-duty while serving during the Cold War. I don’t know how many were killed in the years afterward. It’s inherently hazardous work. This is my note to them, just to say they are not forgotten. Peace.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/25/2324299/-Just-a-Remembrance?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
