CHAPTER 1
PLANE VANISHES INTO THIN AIR—
WHAT HAPPENED?A PRESS RELEASE FROM ANCORAGE, ALASKANovember 20, 1952
A faint radio signal was the only tenuous clue todayto the fate of 52 men aboard a giant C-124 Globemasteraircraft which vanished, Saturday night, over theGulf of Alaska. Air force Officials cautioned, however,against any undue optimism, pointing out that thesignal was not picked up again, and past experiencesin Alaskan air tragedies have shown that mysteriousradio transmissions are not uncommon and have provedvalueless in searches. Names of the crew, includingMarlon l. Scott, Airman 3c, Lebanon, Indiana werereleased yesterday. The other passengers have not beenidentified.
Twenty-four search planes are poised here, readyto fan out when weather permits, over the 150 miles totiny Middleton Island., the four-engine transport's lastcheckpoint. The weather outlook was poor. The 41 Armyand Air force passengers and 11 crewmen yesterdaywere listed officially as missing in the continuing plagueof United States military air disasters throughout theworld.
Since November 7, six planes have crashed ordisappeared. They carried 162 men, of whom 82 are nowconfirmed dead, 72 missing and eight survived. Three ofthe troop carriers were lost in Alaska, two in Korea andone in Montana.
The weak radio signal, which could have come fromemergency equipment carried by the Globemaster, waspicked up yesterday by the CAA station at Yakataga, onthe Alaskan Coastline about 150 miles east of MiddletonIsland. The S.O.S. was so dim no bearing could be taken,but authorities at Elmendorf Air Base here said the signalon the navigational distress frequency might have been"Gibson Girl" radio transmitters attached to the plane'sfuselage.
The United States Air force sent the above pressrelease to my parents as well as the hometownnewspaper, The Lebanon Reporter. As fate would haveit, I was in Korea at the time. I have since uncoveredadditional information that is far more inclusive anddefinitive of what exactly happened.
for example, an Associated Press article fromNovember 1952, described the C-124 Globemaster lossas a "staggering one." But it was not the first nor wouldit be the last military plane with Alaskan ties to go downthat month.
On November 7, a C-119 "flying Boxcar," flying fromElmendorf Air force Base in Anchorage to Big Delta,crashed into Mount Silverthrone (on the east side ofMount McKinley), killing 19 men.
On November 15, another C-119, en route fromElmendorf to Kodiak Naval Air Station, disappeared with20 men on boar
On Thanksgiving Day, a C-54 Skymaster from LaddAFB, Fairbanks, carrying servicemen and their families,crashed short of the runway at McChord AFB in SouthTacoma, killing 37 of 39 aboard.
Additional transport planes crashed in Korea and onenear Billings, Montana. Over a three-week period, ninemilitary planes crashed in the Alaska, Pacific Northwestand Korea Theatres. In the month of November alone,128 servicemen were lost.
By late December—during a period which coveredonly six weeks—the number of lives lost in militaryaviation disasters around the North Pacific Rim had risento nearly 300.
It is at this juncture that our story really gets bizarre.According to the same AP report a major search effort forMarlon's aircraft ensued. The wreckage, unbelievably, wasspotted by the crew of a B-17 bomber on November 25, 1952.
Dr. Terris Moore, President of the University of Alaska,landed his ski-equipped plane at the site of the wreckageon November 28 with lt. Thomas Sullivan of the TenthAir Rescue Group.
A story in the Anchorage Daily Times on December1, 1952, reported Moore and Sullivan were able toconfirm—through numbers on the tail section—that thewreckage was, indeed, from Marlon's Globemaster C-124.According to the pair of investigators only the plane's tailassembly and flippers were intact.
Moore told the Times "the plane hit the mountainside,exploding and disintegrating upon impact."
Wreckage was scattered over two to three acres while"six to eight feet of snow covered everything."
The investigators indicated they found blood on apiece of blanket at the scene.
"All aboard met instant death," Moore said.
A 12-person ground party planned a hike up themountain to recover the remains of the 52 persons onboard—from a base camp at the 4,000-foot level to thecrash scene at about 8,000 feet. However, weatherconditions and inaccessibility due to several "overhangingavalanches" doomed further recovery efforts.
Our Dad was known for his assiduous record-keepinghabits, especially when it involved personal achievementsof his children. His intent was to save, in scrapbookform for future posterity, photos and clippings fromthe local newspaper, the Lebanon Reporter. But otherimportant documents were squirreled away as well. Thisproved fortuitous in the writings of events surroundingMarlon's missing aircraft. My younger brother, Jon, wholives in Lebanon in the family homestead, found severalscrapbooks that were in a storage closet. This provedto be a treasure trove of documents from the Air forcethat chronicled the time the plane went missing and thefollow-up letters that sealed the fate of Marlon and theother military personnel.
In addition to that official correspondence, I includethe following condolences from a friend n Lebanon:
As previously noted, I was in Korea at the time whenmany of the events surrounding the plane crash wererevealed to my family. In hindsight I find it regrettablethat I made no further inquiries into the further detailsbecause I had made my own solitary peace with the lossof my brother and moved on. I was under the impressionthat Mom and Dad, and my siblings had done the same.It was not until six decades later that I found out thatwas not the case.
While rummaging through one of the scrapbooks,I uncovered additional letters from the Air force to myparents, including the following—approximately onemonth after the crash—from the McChord Air force BaseCommander.
34TH AIR TRANSPORT SQUADRON
1705TH AIR Transport Group
Continental Division, MATS
McChord AfB, Washington
23 December 1952
Mr. & Mrs. lawrence D. Scott
911 West Pearl Street
Lebanon, Indiana
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Scott:
Although I talked to you over the telephone, I wish,again, to express my deepest sympathy over the recentloss of your son, A/3c Marlon l. Scott. Also I should liketo take this opportunity to give you all the informationI have relative to the crash and efforts to recover theremains.
The aircraft departed McChord Air force Base ona routine transport mission on the afternoon of 22November 1952. All communications reports receivedindicated a normal uneventful flight. They were lastheard from over Middleton Island, on course and ontime. Middleton Island is a check point located 150nautical miles southeast of Anchorage. When groundcommunications stations determined that they wereoverdue to arrive at Elmendorf, Air Rescue searchproceedings were initiated. The wreckage was located onMount Gannett, which is approximately sixty miles eastof Anchorage. A land party proceeded to the scene of thecrash in an effort to evacuate the remains.
Due to the extreme hazards encountered by theground part yin searching the wreckage and heavysnow cover, no bodies have been recovered. The groundparty has been returned and the efforts to evacuate theremains have been suspended. Should further efforts bemade to recover the remains you will be notified.
Although I do not have the full details on the aircraftaccident investigation board, the information I haveindicates that the principal factor contributing to thecrash was extremely high winds at flight altitude whichhad not been forecast, with secondary factor of poor radioreception in that area due to the violence of the weather,which also was not foreseen. The winds the night of thecrash were reported at flight altitude in that area to befrom the south with a velocity of close to 100 miles anhour which was approximately three times what hadbeen forecast.
Again, please accept my sympathy over your loss.Airman Scott was a fine man, and a very valuable additionto this organization. Not only have you lost a son, but thenation has lost a valuable asset through his death.
You will be contacted in the near future concerningthe disposition of your son's personal effects.
If I am able to provide you with any assistance, pleasefeel free to contact me at any time.
Sincerely,
WILLIAM A. McLAUGHLIN
Major USAF
Commanding
It must be repeated that I knew nothing of the aboveinformation. It was not until later that I also learned myfather was extremely upset that Red Cross Internationalhad not pressed for my older brother, Dowane Jr., andmyself to return from our overseas duty for at least twoweeks of bereavement time with our family.
Unknown to both of us, this furlough time was denied.One can only assume this decision was based on the factthat Marlon's status was classified as "missing" at thatpoint in time.
In the following months, the news was even lessencouraging regarding the recovery of Marlon's remains.A final letter—approximately 11 months after thecrash—ended all hope,
27 OCT 1953
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence D. Scott
911 West Pearl Street
Lebanon, Indiana
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Scott:
It is with deep regret that I find it necessary to informyou of the final conclusion made in the case of your son,the late Airman Third Class Marlon l. Scott. I feel thatyou will want a resume of our findings.
The accident which claimed your son's life occurredin exceedingly rugged terrain and at a high altitude onMr. Gannet, Alaska. It has been our duty to determinewhether or not his remains could be recovered for returnand burial in this country. A complete investigation tothat end was directed.
Every effort, using the most modern equipment andspecially trained personnel, has been made during thevarious seasons of the year to recover the remains. Wehave now receive a detailed report, which has left theAir force but one alternative—to determine that hisremains are non-recoverable. Officers of the AlaskanAir Command have reviewed all the facts in the casein arriving at this decision; we, in turn, after the mostcareful deliberation, have confirmed the findings. In viewof our inability to recover your son's remains, in spite ofthorough and prolonged recovery efforts, I feel that aninjustice would be done to you were I to delay reportingof these findings.
The investigation revealed that the site of the accidentis in an area of perpetual snow and ice on a very steepmountain-side. The packed snow and ice shifts andmoves; avalanches and slides are frequent. Attached foryour information is an aerial photograph of the site ofthe crash. Any attempt to recover the remains would beextremely hazardous and would almost surely result infurther loss of life. Experienced mountain climbers andNational Park Rangers have been consulted and confirmthis point. Therefore, it is concluded that his remains, aswell as the remains of all personnel on the aircraft, arenon-recoverable.
To write a letter such as this is one of my mostdifficult duties, since I know the comfort you wouldderive were there to be a grave at which you might payhomage. I can say only that I hope you may find lastingconsolation in the knowledge that your son served hiscountry well, and that before death, his life had beenkeeping with the highest ideals of the Armed forces andthe nation we serve.
Within a short time, a Personal Affairs Officer from anAir force installation will communicate with you and, ifyou so desire, will arrange for a memorial service for yourloved one.
Sincerely yours,
L.F. CARLSBERG
Colonel, USAF
Chief, General Supply & Services
Div., D/S&S
Office, Deputy Chief of Staff,
Material
It was surely a sad and disheartening time for myparents and family members, as the finality of the eventwas brought to a painful close. In addition to the lettersfrom the Air force, I include a letter to Mom and Dadfrom one of their friends, expressing her sorrow andlamenting the loss of their son, the first of their twelvesiblings to succumb.
And there the crash story—at least what was believedto have happened—ends ... until sixty years into thefuture.
Lebanon, Ind.
Dec. 4, 1952
Dear Mrs. Scott,
You have been on my mind ever since that "Air PlaneCrash," we feel so sorry for you. I know what you aregoing thru for we lost a boy (Joe) four years ago. He wasdrowned in Oslo ford, Norway, while in service and hewas only 21. You and I both had large families, and Ithink most of them went thru High School to-gether.Marlon and Nora Kay graduated to-gether. She liked himso well, said he was always a gentleman. My heart achesfor you. I only wish I could do some thing for you. Let'shope he is better off, and in God's care, for He is goodand merciful, and surely will take care of our little boys.
Your friend,Mrs. Joseph Pearl
CHAPTER 2
THE AWAKENING
Indianapolis, IndianaJune 2012
It's a lovely June morning. There is somethingdownright mystical about early mornings in thesummertime in Indiana, especially May through Augustwhen magic is in the air. It is a time when light, gentlebreezes awaken the leaves on the cottonwood trees andmurmur through the deep ravine just off my backyardpatio. It is at this time, if one listens very closely, onehears the familiar birds awaken to greet the dawn withtheir calls to their mates: the chickadees, warblers, brightred cardinals, and bluejays.
It has become a habit of mine to enjoy thesemornings—when it isn't raining—to stagger out of bed,microwave a cup of green tea with Ginseng and, withbreathtaking dexterity, juggle my tea, reading glassesand a book as I retire to the outdoor patio and clamberaboard my favorite bright red chaise lounge. It has provedto be a great time and place to think of everything—andnothing—at the same time.
On this particular morning, I listen intently as anearby male cardinal whistles brightly for its mate, whodoubtlessly had flown a great distance down the corridorof the ravine. I hear no distant reply. Apparently, neitherdid the cardinal. Neglected by no return of his amoroussong, he drops into a disappointed silence, only to berejuvenated shortly by an answering female call.
Now, a chipmunk emerges from my wife's flower bedand flashes across the patio—in defiance of my nearbypresence—and disappears into a clump of green ivy nearthe foundation of my house. Uaagh!
I have been trying to poison, trap or shoot thesepesky beast since Spring with no luck. Finally, seekingthe ultimate doomsday weapon for their demise, I hadpurchased a Red Ryder B-B gun. It is now payback time.But to date, and after expending two packets of B-B shot,I have not come close to dispatching one chipmunk.They have proved too fast and agile for my diminishedreactions. More Uaagh!!!
My mind entertains more serious, rapid firestorms ofconscious thoughts, then drifts into deep reverie ...
I feel joyous and exuberant as my mind catapultsacross another age of time and space, to other years andother adventures swept out of the past and into the lightof the now ...
My life now belongs only to the present, as that of theaging sycamore trees off to my right, down in the deep ravine.I wonder if they know they will soon lose there brown barkand turn bleached white for the fall and Winter.
Other thoughts come faster ...
At this advanced stage in my life, never have I felt sofat with time, or the need to be propelled by it—so freeof the need to be moving fast. After all, wasn't it thatold curmudgeon of a poet, Robert frost, who wrote,"Everybody should be free to go very slow ... What youwant, what you're hanging around in the world waitingfor, is for something to occur to you."
