Names of 30 airmen who died added to Arkansas memorial

LITTLE ROCK -- The names of 30 airmen who lost their lives in accidents at the Little Rock Air Force Base have been added to a memorial honoring service members killed in mishaps at the base.

The 30 airmen were killed in 13 different accidents dating back 58 years, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Sunday. They include 10 airmen who were killed 44 years ago in the deadliest plane crash in the base's 60-year history.

The instances included crashes of B-47 bombers, B-58 bombers, C-130 cargo planes and RF-101 fighter planes, as well as three accidents involving missiles.

Jennifer Blankinship, historian of the Jacksonville base's host unit, the 19th Airlift Wing, says the High Flight Memorial in the base's Heritage Park was dedicated in October 1980 to honor Little Rock airmen who died in aircraft or missile "mishaps."

In 2013, it was discovered that names of some airmen had been left off. Last month, contractors remedied that by etching on the missing names. The monument now bears the names of 95 airmen killed in 27 accidents.

"It was really important to make sure everybody was honored properly," Blankinship said. "Luckily, we were able to fix it."

For the family of Capt. David Moule, a pilot who died in that deadliest crash on Nov. 12, 1971, having his name on the memorial will give family members "a place to go back" to, said Moule's daughter, Jennifer Cesena.

Though Moule died during the Vietnam War era, he and the others killed were not eligible to be listed on the national memorial because they died during training and not in support of combat missions. As far as the family knows, Little Rock Air Force Base is the only place his name is memorialized.

Moule's C-130 stalled during takeoff, rolled to the side and slammed into the base's runway, killing Moule and nine others aboard. The aircraft exploded on impact and the 40,000 pounds of jet fuel on board burned, leaving only the tail section of the plane intact.

State Desk on 05/18/2015

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