Ardmore Army Air Field-In Memory Of

Ardmore Army Air Field/Ardmore Air Force Base
Ardmore, Oklahoma

"All Gave Some-Some Gave All"
These men never made it to combat. They died in the process of perfecting their skills as aircraft crewmen and support personnel at the Ardmore Army Air Field and Ardmore Air Force Base. The tragic accidents in which they died changed the lives of their loved ones and close friends forever. These airmen were a vital part of the defense process and gave their all in helping preserve our American freedoms. We dedicate this page to the memory of these men and others who served and trained during both activation periods of the base.

Remembrance Memorial Park, located just inside the entrance to Ardmore Industrial Airpark, was established June 17, 2000 to remember 77 US Army personnel and six American Flyers Airline crew members killed in the crash of a Lockheed L-188C Electra, April 22, 1966. On Memorial Day, May 26, 2003, members of air crews and support personnel killed during WWII and the Korean Conflict while stationed at Ardmore were remembered. Two granite monuments with the names of each victim, honor those who gave their all to preserve our American Freedoms.
One or more crew members severely injured in crashes at Ardmore may have died weeks or even months later and their names were not available through our information sources. Should this have happened, "To The Unknown" at the bottom of this page is in remembrance of them. If you can contribute information, including pictures, to make this listing complete, please do so. If you want to help find relatives of these men, it will be appreciated. Contact me when you have the information, picture or have a question. Thanks in Advance! Time is Fleeting!
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Date of Crash/Site@ Type Of Aircraft Those Who Died Hometown or Station

Mar. 14, 1943 @ L-3C "Grasshopper" (43-1501) Flight Officer, /Lt. Emil M. Horkavi, 30, flight check pilot Gary, Indiana

Flight Officer/Lt. Frank M. Dimond, 29, certification flight Wilmington, California
July 12, 1943 @ B-26C (41-34770) Marauder Captain Sheldon H. Pierce, pilot Jacksonville, Florida
Lt. William M. Lester, 26, co-pilot Safford, Alabama
Lt. Joseph E. Murphy, 23, bombardier-also navigator Waterloo, Iowa
Cpl Paul W. Banks, 23 Centerville, Tennessee
Sgt. Austin M. Foley Middle Village, New York
Sgt. William C. Williams Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania
M/Sgt. Estel B. (Bee) Johnson, 43, (WWI Veteran) Greencastle, Indiana, bur. Clinton Falls Cemetery, Putman County, Ind.

Nov. 17, 1943@ B-17F (42-5270) Flying Fortress Lt. Leland D. Jewell, 20, co-pilot (Struck by No. 2 propeller at Galveston Army Air Field.) Stevens, Washington

Dec. 15, 1943 @ B-17F (42-5136) Flying Fortress, Lt. Robert W. Smith, 24 Englewood, New Jersey

Lt. Wendell R. Wheelock, 25, pilot Baltimore, Maryland

Lt. Robert E. Ruebsam, 25 Ocean City, New Jersey

Sgt. James R. Wilson, 25, waist gunner Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Sgt. Charles E. Freeman, 21 Caddo, Texas

FO/Lt. Gaetano Marchese, 20 Lawrence, Massachusetts

Sgt. Daniel D. Cote, 29 Chicago, Illinois

Lt. George A. Hileman, 20 Washington, DC

Lt. Henry A. Post, 22 Fulton, Illinois

S/Sgt. Marion K. Himebaugh, 27, substitute for a sick gunner. Bronson, Michigan

Sgt. Willie Glaze, 21 Adger, Alabama

Pvt. Deeb A. Jabaly, Jr, 22 Daytona Beach, Florida

Nov. 4, 1943 @ B-17F(42-3466)Flying Fortress Lt. Derald C. Holland, 24, pilot, (Died two weeks later, Borden Army Hospital, Chickasha, OK.) Santa Ana, California
Lt. Lee R. Woodall Jr, 21, navigator El Dorado, Arkansas

Lt. Frank G. Adair, 24, bombardier Chicago, Illinois

Pfc. Clair W. Davidson, 29, radio operator West Lafayette, Indiana

Pfc. Andrew J. Matthews, 21, radio instructor Farmington, Missouri

Jan. 16, 1944@ B-17F(42-30761)Flying Fortress S/Sgt. Elmo E. Hagen, 34, (Gunnery instructor, hit by stray bullet from another aircraft while in formation at Air-to-Air Gunnery Range near Galveston, Texas.)> Kent, Michigan

Apr. 24, 1944 @ B-17G(42-102786)Flying Fortress Lt. Milton Hansberry, 23, instructor pilot at the controls. Seattle, Washington

Lt. Charles H. Boyer Jr., 27, pilot Ft. Worth, Texas

Lt. Loren Crites, 25, co-pilot (Previously served in Royal Canadian Air Force.) Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Lt. Edward W. Hamlin, 22, bombardier Mason, Michigan

Cpl. Andrew L. Lasater, 21, gunner Sikeston, Missouri

Pfc. Forrest W. Weissert, 28, assistant gunner-engineer South Bend, Indiana

Cpl. Victor E. Turner, 23, radio operator Waterloo, Iowa

Pfc. Billie F. Marrs, 20, assistant radio operator Paris, Illinois

Pfc. Donald G. Petersen, 18, gunner Lansing, Illinois

Pfc. Walter O. Dytman, 18, gunner Elmira, New York

Cpl. James C. Demetry, 25, radio instructor, aboard as passenger. Chicago, Illinois

Feb. 12, 1944 @ B-17F (42-30481) Flying Fortress Captain William R. Heck, 25, pilot Middletown, Ohio

Lt. Robert N. Bulloch, 25, co-pilot Cedar City, Utah

Lt. Collins O. Gerstner, 24 Minneapolis, Minnesota

Lt. Jack L. Rider, 27 Glendale, California

Captain Oswald L. Bernich, 28, bombardier instructor Biloxi, Mississippi

Sgt. Albert F. Franczyk, 20, oxygen instructor E. Vandergrift, Pennsylvania

Cpl. Anthony T. Casino, 21 Follansbee, W. Virginia

Sgt. Ray N. Wise, 20 Texarkana, Arkansas

Sgt. Leslie Clay Hill, 21, gunner Medford, Oregon

Sgt. John W. Ashba, Jr., 26 Steubenville, Ohio

June 14, 1944 @ B-17F(42-29929)Flying Fortress Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale, 22, radio operator (Died parachuting near Salina, Kansas.) See Life Magazine, page 32. Indianapolis, Indiana

Sept. 24, 1944 @ B-17G(42-102410)Flying Fortress Lt. Stanley G. Parsell, 20, navigator (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.) Angola, Indiana

Pfc. Melbourne Roy Rieke, 24, top turret gunner (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.) Burlington, Iowa

Cpl. Donald Lynn Cooper, 23, engineer (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.) Los Angeles, California

Mar. 19, 1954 @ Fairchild C-119F (51-7993) Captain Gene T. Coppedge, 32, pilot Pittsburg, Kansas

Lt. Roy C. Kemmerling, 26, co-pilot Pine Grove, Pennsylvania

Lt. Henry T. Johnson, 33 S. Portland, Maine

Lt. Richard L. Roloff, 24, navigator Iselin, New Jersey

S/Sgt. Ernest V. Crabtree, 31 Hawthorne, California

A/2C Jon G. Taylor, 18, radio operator Adrian, Michigan
Passengers C-119F Army, AirForce, Navy, Marines Pfc. Frederick R. Junghans, Detachment 3, 440th ASU Ft. Benning, Georgia
A/B Wayne R. Snodgrass, 42nd AP Squadron Limestone AFB, Maine
3C Gerald A. Baldassaro, Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps Bolling AFB, Washington, DC

A/2C Paul H. Springer, Drum and Bugle Corps Bolling AFB, Washington, DC

A/2C Robert M. Strauss, Drum and Bugle Corps Bolling AFB, Washington, DC

A/3C Joseph A. Valente, Drum and Bugle Corps Bolling AFB, Washington, DC

Phillip A. Lavers, USN, "USS Sagamore" (ATA-208) Norfolk, Virginia
Roy G. Lambertson, USN, "USS Sagamore" (ATA-208) Norfolk, Virginia

Sgt. Raymond L. Hahn, Marine Corps MBNB, Norfolk, Virginia
YNSN John S. Hubbard, USN, Flt. A/C Service Squadron 102 Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia

SN Allen R. Hillar, USN, Flt. A/C Service Squadron 102 Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia

AN James D. Robbins, USN, "USS Briareus" (AR-12) Norfolk, Virginia

Aug. 3, 1944 @ Truck Accident (half-ton) Cpl. Alfred E. Ott, 35 Waucoma, Iowa

Pfc. Jess L. Jones, 19 Germantown, Tennessee

Pfc. Maleon M. Stanford, 23 Warsaw, N. Carolina

Pvt. Archie Nimmer, 25, (Died a few days later.) Dermott, Arkansas

usaflag.gif - 10636 Bytes To The Unknown
Who May Have Died Weeks, Months or Years Later From Their Injuries

A Memorial Salute By F-14s

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Main Page Memory Jogger 1942-46; 1953-59 Making It Happen 1942-46; 1953-59This I Remember...A Story of Survival
A Small-World, God-Directed, Get-Together
Mural of Remembrance
Historical Summary 1942-46 1953-59

Date of Crash/Site@	Type Of Aircraft	Those Who Died	Hometown or Station
Mar. 14, 1943 @	L-3C "Grasshopper" (43-1501)	Flight Officer, /Lt. Emil M. Horkavi, 30, flight check pilot	Gary, Indiana
		Flight Officer/Lt. Frank M. Dimond, 29, certification flight	Wilmington, California
July 12, 1943 @	B-26C (41-34770) Marauder	Captain Sheldon H. Pierce, pilot	Jacksonville, Florida
		Lt. William M. Lester, 26, co-pilot	Safford, Alabama
		Lt. Joseph E. Murphy, 23, bombardier-also navigator	Waterloo, Iowa
		Cpl Paul W. Banks, 23	Centerville, Tennessee
		Sgt. Austin M. Foley	Middle Village, New York
		Sgt. William C. Williams	Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania
		M/Sgt. Estel B. (Bee) Johnson, 43, (WWI Veteran)	Greencastle, Indiana, bur. Clinton Falls Cemetery, Putman County, Ind.
Nov. 17, 1943@	B-17F (42-5270) Flying Fortress	Lt. Leland D. Jewell, 20, co-pilot (Struck by No. 2 propeller at Galveston Army Air Field.)	Stevens, Washington
Dec. 15, 1943 @	B-17F (42-5136) Flying Fortress,	Lt. Robert W. Smith, 24	Englewood, New Jersey
		Lt. Wendell R. Wheelock, 25, pilot	Baltimore, Maryland
		Lt. Robert E. Ruebsam, 25	Ocean City, New Jersey
		Sgt. James R. Wilson, 25, waist gunner	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
		Sgt. Charles E. Freeman, 21	Caddo, Texas
		FO/Lt. Gaetano Marchese, 20	Lawrence, Massachusetts
		Sgt. Daniel D. Cote, 29	Chicago, Illinois
		Lt. George A. Hileman, 20	Washington, DC
		Lt. Henry A. Post, 22	Fulton, Illinois
		S/Sgt. Marion K. Himebaugh, 27, substitute for a sick gunner.	Bronson, Michigan
		Sgt. Willie Glaze, 21	Adger, Alabama
		Pvt. Deeb A. Jabaly, Jr, 22	Daytona Beach, Florida
Nov. 4, 1943 @	B-17F(42-3466)Flying Fortress	Lt. Derald C. Holland, 24, pilot, (Died two weeks later, Borden Army Hospital, Chickasha, OK.)	Santa Ana, California
		Lt. Lee R. Woodall Jr, 21, navigator	El Dorado, Arkansas
		Lt. Frank G. Adair, 24, bombardier	Chicago, Illinois
		Pfc. Clair W. Davidson, 29, radio operator	West Lafayette, Indiana
		Pfc. Andrew J. Matthews, 21, radio instructor	Farmington, Missouri
Jan. 16, 1944@	B-17F(42-30761)Flying Fortress	S/Sgt. Elmo E. Hagen, 34, (Gunnery instructor, hit by stray bullet from another aircraft while in formation at Air-to-Air Gunnery Range near Galveston, Texas.)>	Kent, Michigan
Apr. 24, 1944 @	B-17G(42-102786)Flying Fortress	Lt. Milton Hansberry, 23, instructor pilot at the controls.	Seattle, Washington
		Lt. Charles H. Boyer Jr., 27, pilot	Ft. Worth, Texas
		Lt. Loren Crites, 25, co-pilot (Previously served in Royal Canadian Air Force.)	Cape Girardeau, Missouri
		Lt. Edward W. Hamlin, 22, bombardier	Mason, Michigan
		Cpl. Andrew L. Lasater, 21, gunner	Sikeston, Missouri
		Pfc. Forrest W. Weissert, 28, assistant gunner-engineer	South Bend, Indiana
		Cpl. Victor E. Turner, 23, radio operator	Waterloo, Iowa
		Pfc. Billie F. Marrs, 20, assistant radio operator	Paris, Illinois
		Pfc. Donald G. Petersen, 18, gunner	Lansing, Illinois
		Pfc. Walter O. Dytman, 18, gunner	Elmira, New York
		Cpl. James C. Demetry, 25, radio instructor, aboard as passenger.	Chicago, Illinois
Feb. 12, 1944 @	B-17F (42-30481) Flying Fortress	Captain William R. Heck, 25, pilot	Middletown, Ohio
		Lt. Robert N. Bulloch, 25, co-pilot	Cedar City, Utah
		Lt. Collins O. Gerstner, 24	Minneapolis, Minnesota
		Lt. Jack L. Rider, 27	Glendale, California
		Captain Oswald L. Bernich, 28, bombardier instructor	Biloxi, Mississippi
		Sgt. Albert F. Franczyk, 20, oxygen instructor	E. Vandergrift, Pennsylvania
		Cpl. Anthony T. Casino, 21	Follansbee, W. Virginia
		Sgt. Ray N. Wise, 20	Texarkana, Arkansas
		Sgt. Leslie Clay Hill, 21, gunner	Medford, Oregon
		Sgt. John W. Ashba, Jr., 26	Steubenville, Ohio
June 14, 1944 @	B-17F(42-29929)Flying Fortress	Sgt. Edward M. Ragsdale, 22, radio operator (Died parachuting near Salina, Kansas.) See Life Magazine, page 32.	Indianapolis, Indiana
Sept. 24, 1944 @	B-17G(42-102410)Flying Fortress	Lt. Stanley G. Parsell, 20, navigator (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.)	Angola, Indiana
		Pfc. Melbourne Roy Rieke, 24, top turret gunner (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.)	Burlington, Iowa
		Cpl. Donald Lynn Cooper, 23, engineer (Died parachuting north of Ardmore.)	Los Angeles, California
Mar. 19, 1954 @	Fairchild C-119F (51-7993)	Captain Gene T. Coppedge, 32, pilot	Pittsburg, Kansas
		Lt. Roy C. Kemmerling, 26, co-pilot	Pine Grove, Pennsylvania
		Lt. Henry T. Johnson, 33	S. Portland, Maine
		Lt. Richard L. Roloff, 24, navigator	Iselin, New Jersey
		S/Sgt. Ernest V. Crabtree, 31	Hawthorne, California
		A/2C Jon G. Taylor, 18, radio operator	Adrian, Michigan
Passengers C-119F	Army, AirForce, Navy, Marines	Pfc. Frederick R. Junghans, Detachment 3, 440th ASU	Ft. Benning, Georgia
		A/B Wayne R. Snodgrass, 42nd AP Squadron	Limestone AFB, Maine
		3C Gerald A. Baldassaro, Jr. Drum and Bugle Corps	Bolling AFB, Washington, DC
		A/2C Paul H. Springer, Drum and Bugle Corps	Bolling AFB, Washington, DC
		A/2C Robert M. Strauss, Drum and Bugle Corps	Bolling AFB, Washington, DC
		A/3C Joseph A. Valente, Drum and Bugle Corps	Bolling AFB, Washington, DC
		Phillip A. Lavers, USN, "USS Sagamore" (ATA-208)	Norfolk, Virginia
		Roy G. Lambertson, USN, "USS Sagamore" (ATA-208)	Norfolk, Virginia
		Sgt. Raymond L. Hahn, Marine Corps	MBNB, Norfolk, Virginia
		YNSN John S. Hubbard, USN, Flt. A/C Service Squadron 102	Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia
		SN Allen R. Hillar, USN, Flt. A/C Service Squadron 102	Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia
		AN James D. Robbins, USN, "USS Briareus" (AR-12)	Norfolk, Virginia
Aug. 3, 1944 @	Truck Accident (half-ton)	Cpl. Alfred E. Ott, 35	Waucoma, Iowa
		Pfc. Jess L. Jones, 19	Germantown, Tennessee
		Pfc. Maleon M. Stanford, 23	Warsaw, N. Carolina
		Pvt. Archie Nimmer, 25, (Died a few days later.)	Dermott, Arkansas