Photo By Alexander Rector | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nathan Erickson, the 174th Attack Wing chief of safety, Maj....... read more read more
ITALY, NY – Three members of the 174th Attack Wing attended a ceremony in Italy, NY on Aug. 14, to pay their respects and attend a historical marker dedication ceremony commemorating six U.S. Army Air Forces Soldiers who perished in a B-25 Mitchell Bomber crash during WW2.
On Oct. 2, 1943, a B-25 Mitchell bomber piloted by 1st Lt. Willard Wilder left Rochester, NY on its way to Bolling Field, Washington. The weather was clear in Rochester, but the summit was still blanketed in the morning fog.
Unfortunately, the plane didn’t have enough altitude to clear the hill and struck the ground, skidding 850 feet before coming to a stop. The plane’s 6 occupants were killed on impact.
One of the attendees, Maj. Matthew Abraham, the 174th Attack Wing director of staff, was born and raised in the area and remembers hearing about the plane crash when he was younger. “I grew up near Italy Valley in Penn Yan, NY and did my civilian flight training in Penn Yan,” said Abraham. “I had heard about this crash as a kid but honestly didn’t know much about it.”
“Those men, while state-side, gave their lives in the defense of this nation,” said Abraham. “People that don’t wear the uniform cannot truly comprehend what that means. They deserve to be remembered.”
Two of the B-25’s crew were New York natives, Wilder and Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Maricle of Buffalo.
Locals knew about the crash, but until Yates County celebrated it’s bicentennial in 2023, there were no plans to place a historical marker.
“Last year was the county’s bicentennial,” said Len Kataskas, Yates County historian. “We had a bicentennial committee and there had been no marker before to honor the memory of these Airmen, so the committee decided to put up this historical marker.”
The ceremony was planned for last autumn, but delays in the purchase and manufacture of the marker, which was funded by the Veteran’s One Stop Center of Western New York, led to the ceremony being postponed.
“We had planned on unveiling it on the 80th anniversary of the crash, which would have been Oct. 02, 2023, but the sign wasn’t completed until this February,” Kataskas said.
During the ceremony, members from American Legion Post 355, from Penn Yan, NY, conducted a rifle salute and played Taps in honor of the six Soldiers. During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Nathan Erickson, the 174th Attack Wing chief of safety, delivered remarks honoring the deceased Soldiers and thanking the community for including the 174th Attack Wing in the event.
“These ceremonies offer a way to express respect and gratitude to those who gave their lives in service, bring the community together, provides historical awareness to help preserve the memory of past sacrifice, and provide families of the fallen a space for healing and reflection,” said Erickson. “Involvement in these ceremonies ensures that the sacrifices made are not forgotten and that the community remains connected to the ideals of service and gratitude.”
During the ceremony, members of the community held a moment of silence for the 6 Soldiers, before mounting the historical marker atop its pole at the end of Dunn Rd.
The seasonal use road ends at the border of the Italy Hill State Forest and lies along the Bristol Hills branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. “We picked this spot because it is near the crash site,” said Kataskas. “We got the county, the town, and the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation involved to find the most appropriate place to put it.”
The 174th Attack Wing is one of five wings in the New York Air National Guard. The 174th operates the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft and is headquartered at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, NY.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2024 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 479681 |
| Location: | ITALY, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 39 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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