Group honors the 87 airmen who died during Operation Sleigh Ride
Larry Godden, of Million Air Moses Lake, and Mike Bellgardt, with the Forgotten Heroes Memorial group, place roses on the planned site of the memorial.
Residents, including volunteers with the Forgotten Heroes Memorial group, pray during a small ceremony honoring the 87 fallen airmen who died at the former Larson Air Force Base before Christmas 1952.
MOSES LAKE - Seven community members laid 87 red roses along the outline of the planned Forgotten Heroes Memorial at Grant County International Airport.
The roses were in honor of the 87 airmen who died in a plane crash at the former Larson Air Force Base, on Dec. 20, 1952.
The airmen were flying home as part of the Air Force's program "Operation Sleigh Ride," but the C-12A Globemaster crashed shortly after take off.
Fifty-nine years later, residents gathered on the anniversary of the crash.
As residents place flowers on the ground, Joann Hosszu, of the Forgotten Heroes committee, said a special prayer, asking family members be relieved of their fears.
The group started raising funds in April to build a memorial and is about $4,000 shy of its goal, Committee Chairman Mike Bellgardt told the Columbia Basin Herald.
It costs roughly $20,000 for the granite and basalt memorial.
"I'm really excited we're so close," he commented. "The community has pulled together to make this happen. It's beyond my belief how Grant County came together to help."
When the group started the effort, Bellgardt wondered how they would they reach their goal, especially in the current economy.
"To me, it's very difficult to ask for money," he commented.
More than 50 local businesses and family members of the airmen pulled together to donate.
The group is now looking forward to its June 2 dedication event.
Columbia Basin Job Corps students agreed to build the memorial.
Now the group needs a contractor to help make a drawing for the students to work from.
"I think any contractor who does (concrete) work will be able to put something together," he commented.
Once completed, the memorial features a basalt column holding three granite pieces. The center piece shows a picture of the airplane, with the other two pieces listing the passengers killed in the crash.
The memorial is 87 inches tall, for the 87 passengers, and 52 inches wide, for the year 1952.
For more information, call 208-329-6233, email 87forgottenheroes@gmail.com, or find "Forgotten Heroes Memorial" on Facebook.