Second Lieutenant Harris served with the 330th Combat Crew Training Squadron from Biggs Field, Texas.
He was the Navigator and one of seven Army airmen killed when B-24J Liberator #42-73228 crashed into Franklin Mountain, eight miles southwest of the airfield, near El Paso, Texas.
The airmen killed were:
1st Lt. Lyle R Jensen, O-725735, NE, Pilot
2nd Lt. Benjamin C Fricke, O-705368, IN, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Donald B Harris, O-708258, NM, Navigator
2nd Lt. Robert Spears, O-703530, IN, Bombardier
S/Sgt. Richard I Stoney, 11087846, MA, Gunner
Sgt. William T Hinson, 14049281, NC, Flight Engineer
Sgt. John H House, 32837248, NY, Radio Operator
~
Entered the service from New Mexico; ASN O-708258.
May 3, 1944:
Memorial Service Held at Spot in Texas Where Lt. Ben Fricke and Crew Died
A memorial service was held last Sunday on the mountain side at El Paso, Texas, for the Army airmen who lost their lives in a crash of a Flying Fortress on Thursday, March, 23, among whom was Second Lieutenant Benjamin C. Fricke, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Fricke of Indianapolis and of brother of Mrs. Melvin Habegger of this place. The parents of Lt. Fricke made an effort to attend the memorial, during which a metal cross was erected, marking the spot of the crash. The Fricke's, however, were unable to procure either a train or plane reservations and were then unable to attend.
A double funeral service was held for 2nd Lt. Fricke and 2nd Lt. Robert Spears at the North Methodist Church in Indianapolis, on March ? and on the same day a service was held for Lt. Fricke at the Mennonite Church and burial was made in the M.R.E. Cemetery west of town.
The following item appeared last week in an El Paso newspaper, telling of the plans for the memorial.
Cross to Mark Spot Where Airmen Died
A wooden cross placed on a blackened area on Mt. Franklin, near the scattered parts of an Army bombing plane will be replaced by a six-foot metal cross on April 30. The wooden cross is a one-man tribute to seven men who died in a B-24 plane crash on March 23.
Marcus Uribe, El Paso Public Library janitor, placed the cross there. At the memorial service three Franciscan priests from St. Anthony's Seminary will chant the Litany of the Dead.
Altar boys and girls dress as angels and seven boys dressed as soldiers will be in the procession. Flag bearers carrying Pan-American flags will march. The procession will move from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to the site of the cross.
There, Father Raymundo Garcia, Father Rodolfo Ortega and Father Luis Valderez will bless and dedicate the cross. Holy water will be sprinkled on the names of 1st Lieut. Lyle R. Jensen, of Big Springs, Nebraska; 2nd Lieut. Benjamin C. Fricke, Indianapolis, Indiana; 2nd Lieut. Donald B. Harris, Deming, New Mexico; 2nd Lieut. Robert Spear of Indianapolis, Indiana; Sgt. Richard I. Stoney, Stonehaus, Massachusetts; Sgt. Richard Hinson, Norwood, North Carolina; and Sgt. John H. House, Black River, New York. All died in the crash.
The service will begin at 9:00 a.m., with Requiem Mass in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Work on the new cross begins Sunday. Ramirez Marcelino works on the cross after working hours. He will haul the completed cross from his home to the mountain. The concrete base was placed on the mountain Sunday.
Mr. Uribe each day after work collects money. His black notebook shows monies collected from neighbors, library workers, and the seven children in his family. He will need $400 to pay for the gravel, metal and lumber. Mr. Uribe was asleep in his home when the plane smashed into the mountain and burst into flames. He lives less than a mile from the scene of the accident.
The next day he joined spectators who viewed the charred wreckage of the place. A little boy poking in the ashes found an Air Corps ring which was turned over to the Red Cross. The memorial is Mr. Uribe's contribution to the war.
He said, "When I fixed the first cross on the mountain, at the time I was thinking new things tht could be written on it like "TO THE MEN WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES TO KEEP A COUNTRY FREE."
Adams County, Indiana Historical Museum "1944 Jan-Oct" Scrapbook Image 47
(Contributed by Janice Vasilovski)
Contributor: Karin King (47469179)
He was the Navigator and one of seven Army airmen killed when B-24J Liberator #42-73228 crashed into Franklin Mountain, eight miles southwest of the airfield, near El Paso, Texas.
The airmen killed were:
1st Lt. Lyle R Jensen, O-725735, NE, Pilot
2nd Lt. Benjamin C Fricke, O-705368, IN, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Donald B Harris, O-708258, NM, Navigator
2nd Lt. Robert Spears, O-703530, IN, Bombardier
S/Sgt. Richard I Stoney, 11087846, MA, Gunner
Sgt. William T Hinson, 14049281, NC, Flight Engineer
Sgt. John H House, 32837248, NY, Radio Operator
~
Entered the service from New Mexico; ASN O-708258.
May 3, 1944:
Memorial Service Held at Spot in Texas Where Lt. Ben Fricke and Crew Died
A memorial service was held last Sunday on the mountain side at El Paso, Texas, for the Army airmen who lost their lives in a crash of a Flying Fortress on Thursday, March, 23, among whom was Second Lieutenant Benjamin C. Fricke, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Fricke of Indianapolis and of brother of Mrs. Melvin Habegger of this place. The parents of Lt. Fricke made an effort to attend the memorial, during which a metal cross was erected, marking the spot of the crash. The Fricke's, however, were unable to procure either a train or plane reservations and were then unable to attend.
A double funeral service was held for 2nd Lt. Fricke and 2nd Lt. Robert Spears at the North Methodist Church in Indianapolis, on March ? and on the same day a service was held for Lt. Fricke at the Mennonite Church and burial was made in the M.R.E. Cemetery west of town.
The following item appeared last week in an El Paso newspaper, telling of the plans for the memorial.
Cross to Mark Spot Where Airmen Died
A wooden cross placed on a blackened area on Mt. Franklin, near the scattered parts of an Army bombing plane will be replaced by a six-foot metal cross on April 30. The wooden cross is a one-man tribute to seven men who died in a B-24 plane crash on March 23.
Marcus Uribe, El Paso Public Library janitor, placed the cross there. At the memorial service three Franciscan priests from St. Anthony's Seminary will chant the Litany of the Dead.
Altar boys and girls dress as angels and seven boys dressed as soldiers will be in the procession. Flag bearers carrying Pan-American flags will march. The procession will move from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to the site of the cross.
There, Father Raymundo Garcia, Father Rodolfo Ortega and Father Luis Valderez will bless and dedicate the cross. Holy water will be sprinkled on the names of 1st Lieut. Lyle R. Jensen, of Big Springs, Nebraska; 2nd Lieut. Benjamin C. Fricke, Indianapolis, Indiana; 2nd Lieut. Donald B. Harris, Deming, New Mexico; 2nd Lieut. Robert Spear of Indianapolis, Indiana; Sgt. Richard I. Stoney, Stonehaus, Massachusetts; Sgt. Richard Hinson, Norwood, North Carolina; and Sgt. John H. House, Black River, New York. All died in the crash.
The service will begin at 9:00 a.m., with Requiem Mass in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Work on the new cross begins Sunday. Ramirez Marcelino works on the cross after working hours. He will haul the completed cross from his home to the mountain. The concrete base was placed on the mountain Sunday.
Mr. Uribe each day after work collects money. His black notebook shows monies collected from neighbors, library workers, and the seven children in his family. He will need $400 to pay for the gravel, metal and lumber. Mr. Uribe was asleep in his home when the plane smashed into the mountain and burst into flames. He lives less than a mile from the scene of the accident.
The next day he joined spectators who viewed the charred wreckage of the place. A little boy poking in the ashes found an Air Corps ring which was turned over to the Red Cross. The memorial is Mr. Uribe's contribution to the war.
He said, "When I fixed the first cross on the mountain, at the time I was thinking new things tht could be written on it like "TO THE MEN WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES TO KEEP A COUNTRY FREE."
Adams County, Indiana Historical Museum "1944 Jan-Oct" Scrapbook Image 47
(Contributed by Janice Vasilovski)
Contributor: Karin King (47469179)
Second Lieutenant Harris served with the 330th Combat Crew Training Squadron from Biggs Field, Texas.
He was the Navigator and one of seven Army airmen killed when B-24J Liberator #42-73228 crashed into Franklin Mountain, eight miles southwest of the airfield, near El Paso, Texas.
The airmen killed were:
1st Lt. Lyle R Jensen, O-725735, NE, Pilot
2nd Lt. Benjamin C Fricke, O-705368, IN, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Donald B Harris, O-708258, NM, Navigator
2nd Lt. Robert Spears, O-703530, IN, Bombardier
S/Sgt. Richard I Stoney, 11087846, MA, Gunner
Sgt. William T Hinson, 14049281, NC, Flight Engineer
Sgt. John H House, 32837248, NY, Radio Operator
~
Entered the service from New Mexico; ASN O-708258.
May 3, 1944:
Memorial Service Held at Spot in Texas Where Lt. Ben Fricke and Crew Died
A memorial service was held last Sunday on the mountain side at El Paso, Texas, for the Army airmen who lost their lives in a crash of a Flying Fortress on Thursday, March, 23, among whom was Second Lieutenant Benjamin C. Fricke, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Fricke of Indianapolis and of brother of Mrs. Melvin Habegger of this place. The parents of Lt. Fricke made an effort to attend the memorial, during which a metal cross was erected, marking the spot of the crash. The Fricke's, however, were unable to procure either a train or plane reservations and were then unable to attend.
A double funeral service was held for 2nd Lt. Fricke and 2nd Lt. Robert Spears at the North Methodist Church in Indianapolis, on March ? and on the same day a service was held for Lt. Fricke at the Mennonite Church and burial was made in the M.R.E. Cemetery west of town.
The following item appeared last week in an El Paso newspaper, telling of the plans for the memorial.
Cross to Mark Spot Where Airmen Died
A wooden cross placed on a blackened area on Mt. Franklin, near the scattered parts of an Army bombing plane will be replaced by a six-foot metal cross on April 30. The wooden cross is a one-man tribute to seven men who died in a B-24 plane crash on March 23.
Marcus Uribe, El Paso Public Library janitor, placed the cross there. At the memorial service three Franciscan priests from St. Anthony's Seminary will chant the Litany of the Dead.
Altar boys and girls dress as angels and seven boys dressed as soldiers will be in the procession. Flag bearers carrying Pan-American flags will march. The procession will move from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to the site of the cross.
There, Father Raymundo Garcia, Father Rodolfo Ortega and Father Luis Valderez will bless and dedicate the cross. Holy water will be sprinkled on the names of 1st Lieut. Lyle R. Jensen, of Big Springs, Nebraska; 2nd Lieut. Benjamin C. Fricke, Indianapolis, Indiana; 2nd Lieut. Donald B. Harris, Deming, New Mexico; 2nd Lieut. Robert Spear of Indianapolis, Indiana; Sgt. Richard I. Stoney, Stonehaus, Massachusetts; Sgt. Richard Hinson, Norwood, North Carolina; and Sgt. John H. House, Black River, New York. All died in the crash.
The service will begin at 9:00 a.m., with Requiem Mass in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Work on the new cross begins Sunday. Ramirez Marcelino works on the cross after working hours. He will haul the completed cross from his home to the mountain. The concrete base was placed on the mountain Sunday.
Mr. Uribe each day after work collects money. His black notebook shows monies collected from neighbors, library workers, and the seven children in his family. He will need $400 to pay for the gravel, metal and lumber. Mr. Uribe was asleep in his home when the plane smashed into the mountain and burst into flames. He lives less than a mile from the scene of the accident.
The next day he joined spectators who viewed the charred wreckage of the place. A little boy poking in the ashes found an Air Corps ring which was turned over to the Red Cross. The memorial is Mr. Uribe's contribution to the war.
He said, "When I fixed the first cross on the mountain, at the time I was thinking new things tht could be written on it like "TO THE MEN WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES TO KEEP A COUNTRY FREE."
Adams County, Indiana Historical Museum "1944 Jan-Oct" Scrapbook Image 47
(Contributed by Janice Vasilovski)
Contributor: Karin King (47469179)
He was the Navigator and one of seven Army airmen killed when B-24J Liberator #42-73228 crashed into Franklin Mountain, eight miles southwest of the airfield, near El Paso, Texas.
The airmen killed were:
1st Lt. Lyle R Jensen, O-725735, NE, Pilot
2nd Lt. Benjamin C Fricke, O-705368, IN, Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Donald B Harris, O-708258, NM, Navigator
2nd Lt. Robert Spears, O-703530, IN, Bombardier
S/Sgt. Richard I Stoney, 11087846, MA, Gunner
Sgt. William T Hinson, 14049281, NC, Flight Engineer
Sgt. John H House, 32837248, NY, Radio Operator
~
Entered the service from New Mexico; ASN O-708258.
May 3, 1944:
Memorial Service Held at Spot in Texas Where Lt. Ben Fricke and Crew Died
A memorial service was held last Sunday on the mountain side at El Paso, Texas, for the Army airmen who lost their lives in a crash of a Flying Fortress on Thursday, March, 23, among whom was Second Lieutenant Benjamin C. Fricke, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Fricke of Indianapolis and of brother of Mrs. Melvin Habegger of this place. The parents of Lt. Fricke made an effort to attend the memorial, during which a metal cross was erected, marking the spot of the crash. The Fricke's, however, were unable to procure either a train or plane reservations and were then unable to attend.
A double funeral service was held for 2nd Lt. Fricke and 2nd Lt. Robert Spears at the North Methodist Church in Indianapolis, on March ? and on the same day a service was held for Lt. Fricke at the Mennonite Church and burial was made in the M.R.E. Cemetery west of town.
The following item appeared last week in an El Paso newspaper, telling of the plans for the memorial.
Cross to Mark Spot Where Airmen Died
A wooden cross placed on a blackened area on Mt. Franklin, near the scattered parts of an Army bombing plane will be replaced by a six-foot metal cross on April 30. The wooden cross is a one-man tribute to seven men who died in a B-24 plane crash on March 23.
Marcus Uribe, El Paso Public Library janitor, placed the cross there. At the memorial service three Franciscan priests from St. Anthony's Seminary will chant the Litany of the Dead.
Altar boys and girls dress as angels and seven boys dressed as soldiers will be in the procession. Flag bearers carrying Pan-American flags will march. The procession will move from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church to the site of the cross.
There, Father Raymundo Garcia, Father Rodolfo Ortega and Father Luis Valderez will bless and dedicate the cross. Holy water will be sprinkled on the names of 1st Lieut. Lyle R. Jensen, of Big Springs, Nebraska; 2nd Lieut. Benjamin C. Fricke, Indianapolis, Indiana; 2nd Lieut. Donald B. Harris, Deming, New Mexico; 2nd Lieut. Robert Spear of Indianapolis, Indiana; Sgt. Richard I. Stoney, Stonehaus, Massachusetts; Sgt. Richard Hinson, Norwood, North Carolina; and Sgt. John H. House, Black River, New York. All died in the crash.
The service will begin at 9:00 a.m., with Requiem Mass in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Work on the new cross begins Sunday. Ramirez Marcelino works on the cross after working hours. He will haul the completed cross from his home to the mountain. The concrete base was placed on the mountain Sunday.
Mr. Uribe each day after work collects money. His black notebook shows monies collected from neighbors, library workers, and the seven children in his family. He will need $400 to pay for the gravel, metal and lumber. Mr. Uribe was asleep in his home when the plane smashed into the mountain and burst into flames. He lives less than a mile from the scene of the accident.
The next day he joined spectators who viewed the charred wreckage of the place. A little boy poking in the ashes found an Air Corps ring which was turned over to the Red Cross. The memorial is Mr. Uribe's contribution to the war.
He said, "When I fixed the first cross on the mountain, at the time I was thinking new things tht could be written on it like "TO THE MEN WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES TO KEEP A COUNTRY FREE."
Adams County, Indiana Historical Museum "1944 Jan-Oct" Scrapbook Image 47
(Contributed by Janice Vasilovski)
Contributor: Karin King (47469179)
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