DEDICATION SERVICE HELD FOR B-17 MONUMENT AT WINNFIELD
BY RICKEY ROBERTSON
March 3, 1945 was a bleak, rainy, windy, and cold day with a storm front approaching. Alexandria Army Air Force Base in Alexandria, La. sent out radio messages to all planes to return to base before this cold front hit. But the men flying a training bombing mission onboard B-17F 42-30893 were already in the midst of the thunderstorm and turbulence. Sadly the B-17 went down near the Gum Springs Community in the Kisatchie National Forest killing all eleven crewmen.
The crash and the loss of this B-17's crew over seventy-four years ago will now not be forgotten. On October 16, 2019 my wife and I were blessed to attend the dedication service of a beautiful monument in honor and memory of this brave crew and of the crash. This day reminded me of March 3, 1945 due to the fact the weather was changing, lite rain and windy conditions existed, and a cold front was approaching with the possibility of thunderstorms. Just as the day of the loss of the B-17 in 1945.
Gathered at the Winn District Headquarters of the Kisatchie National Forest was a good group of folks who came to be a part of this dedication. The Honor Guard from Barksdale AFB came with the Colors, then District Ranger Brad Cooper welcomed all in attendance. Several officers along with Christopher Allen-Shinn, historian of the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, attended to show they remembered their fellow eleven brave airmen lost so many years ago. District Ranger Cooper conducted a roll call of the crew members, then the Bugler from Barksdale AFB rendered in the crew honor taps. As the notes of taps gently drifted away Craig Rice, a USDA Forest Service employee who was instrumental in gathering the information needed to obtain the monument, came forward and gently removed the covering from the monument for all to see and view. A brave crew of World War II Airmen would now be remembered for future generations with the dedication of this monument.
On the monument is a plaque telling of the accident and crash of this B-17, another plaque lists the names of the eleven Army Air Forces crewmen killed in the accident, and Craig Rice also found and had a medallion showing a World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress attached to the monument. And for all of my readers who may want to go and visit this beautiful monument, it is located right on US Hwy 84 at the Winn District Headquarters of the US Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Headquarters. The monument is located at the flag pole where the American flag that the brave crewmen served under gently floats in breeze. And while there, look at the displays in the district's headquarters buildings and take a snapshot of the old fire tower located there.
I would like to thank Craig Rice and all the employees of the US Forest Service for the hard work that they accomplished in both obtaining this monument and in having it dedicated in honor of the B-17 crewmen. The crewmen lost on March 3, 1945 are 2nd Lt. Russell L. Cobb (pilot), 2nd Lt. Robert J. Keavy (co-pilot), 2nd Lt. Omar H. Lauridsen (navigator), 2nd Lt. Bruno J. Wieclaw (bombardier), Technical Sgt. Alexander G. Harwood III (radio operator), Sgt. Harold D. bush (radio operator, Cpl. Lester J. Smejkai (gunner), Cpl. Jay "Joey" E. Crites (engineer), Cpl. Niels Anderson (gunner), Pfc. Bruce C. Rue (gunner), and Pfc. Millard B. Beaird (gunner). As a member of a World War II family who had a son listed as Missing In Action in 1944 on board a B-24 bomber conducting a mission over Vienna, Austria and when his remains were recovered in 1950 and he was reclassified as Killed In Action, I listened to this roll call of those lost in the crash and could visualize more about Sgt. Bobbie T. Robertson, my uncle who was lost on October 11, 1944. Just as my family grieved for their lost son, there were eleven families who grieved the loss of their loved ones also. We need to do more to preserve the history, legacy, and stories of the many airmen who died in both training accidents and on combat missions. I am excited to see how the US government now has been able to identify the remains of many, many United States servicemen and women who were killed and listed as unknown in many of our wars through DNA testing. American servicemen who were killed so many years ago are now coming home to America. And we are remembering them and their sacrifice.
I salute the US Forest Service personnel who have ensured for generations to come that this crash and location will not be forgotten and most of all, this crew of eleven brave men will never be forgotten. We remember our HEROES! A BIG THANK YOU and a job well done to the US Forest Service and Forest Service personnel for this great accomplishment! God Bless America!
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Winn Ranger District Headquarters of the US Forest Service located on US Hwy. 84 near Winnfield, La. is the location where the monument to the B-17 crew is located. (Robertson Collection)
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Craig Rice, US Forest Service Employee who was instrumental in obtaining the monument, removes the covering of the monument on the day of the dedication. (Robertson Collection)
Rickey Robertson and Craig Rice standing next to the monument to the B-17 Crash and Crewmen at the Winn Ranger District Headquarters. (Robertson Collection)
B-17 medallion affixed to the monument to show visitors how a B-17 bomber looked during World War II. (Robertson Collection)
Part of the crowd who gather at the Dedication Service at the Winn Ranger District Headquarters. (Robertson Collection)