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‘in humble tribute’WWII air crash memorial getting faceliftBy BILL ARCHERof the Daily Telegraph staffPREMIER - It happened atnoon on a rainy July 1.The day shift already was underground at the Premier Pocahontas Collieries mine in McDowell County, doing their part for the war effort. Before then, the war was taking shape in exotic places like Hawaii and Tunisia.On July 1,1942, World War II came crashing down on the coal miners and their families living on the northern base of Premier Mountain.An American Airlines “flagship,” flying in formation with a group of about 10 aircraft heading to “a southern destination,” dropped into view in the skies over Coalwood. The Army Air Corps would later state that the plane was out of Kellogg Field at Battle Creek, Mich. There were 21 servicemen aboard, all of whom died when the plane crashed into No. 4 Hollow.Several Coalwood residents witnessed the plane going over at about 500 feet. At the time, they would report seeing soldiers parachuting from the craft; however, U.S. Army Air Corps officials would later say that what the people saw was most likely duffel bags fromwhen soldiers aboard the ill-fated flight tried to jettison cargo in what officials speculated was done to help the pilot gain altitude.Lt. Les A. Lebois of Patterson Field, Dayton, Ohio, was the first officer at the crash site, and the investigation was conducted under the direction of Major E. N. Townsend. The Associated Press reported than an unidentified source said that the pilot must have come too close to the ground to get his bearings in the storm, clipped a tree and went down.The 21 soldiers who died in the crash included the pilot, Second Lieutenant Walter Faught, Staff Sgt. Salveston T. Barone, Staff Sgt. Russell A. Carter, Staff Sgt. Leon A. Olin, Staff Sgt. H.M. Diskson, Corp Claudius W. Haywood, Pvt. Lester S. Erickson, Pvt. Elmo J. Edmonds, Staff Sgt. Anthony W. Belcher, Staff Sgt. Leon Thomas Colburg, Pvt. Edward Carr, Pvt. Denver W. Koeppe, Corp. Kermit S. Masters, Pvt. Elmer J. Campbell,Pvt. Lester Peterowski, Lt. E.A. Hampton, Lt. Harry E. Haney, Staff Sgt. Archie W. Chamblin, Staff Sgt. Joseph S. Cholews,Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Eversall and Corp. Bartola Purpurs.After the crash, the employees and management ofPremier Pocahontas Collieries erected a monument to the soldiers who died in the crash as well as “in humble tribute to all who gave their lives” in defense of freedom.Through the years, the memorial, located in the lot next to old Premier Pocahontas company store, had become overgrown. This spring, the Iaeger VFW Post 1144, took on the special project of restoring the monument.“We started working on it in the spring,” Post Commander Kelly B. Gresby. Jr., said. “We worked on it about every day for three months.”Gresby and fellow post member Frankie Brooks spearhead- ’ ed efforts to restore the memorial site. They removed two trees that had roots growing into the base of the memorial, and gave a thorough cleaning to the monument.“When we started, you couldn’t read the names on the stone,” Brooks said.Post 1144 has scheduled a rededication ceremony for at 11 a.m. Saturday. The keynote speaker is McDowell Circuit Judge Booker T. Stephens. Lt. Col. Sheila Brooks also will speak. The combined McDowell County drill team will fire a salute. The public is invited.
Newspaper Details
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield, West Virginia, US
Fri, Jul 02, 1999
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Elizabeth G.
AL, USA 30 May 2023
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