Flight 19 Memorial

COME JOIN US ON DECEMBER 5, OF EVERY YEAR
The Memorial Ceremony is open to the public

Navy Park Memorial - Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Photo: Minerva Bloom.

The Military had to mobilize with speed and urgency, thus the number of casualties at military bases was on the high side. A sad but equally historic note is the fact that 95 young Americans lost their lives at the NAS Fort Lauderdale base during 1942-1945— the three most intensive training years of the war.

The Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Historical Association
proudly salutes all of the service members who died
while serving at Fort Lauderdale during 1942 – 1945

View Gallery from the 2012 - 67th Anniversary of US Navy Flight 19 Memorial Ceremony

List of Those Who Perished at the NASFL

Wilmont, Gerald W.
Caffee, William B.
O'Connor, Vincent J.J.
Butler, John T. Jr.
Cobin, Raymond H.
Avram, Lloyd M.
Barry
McFadden, Samuel G.
Horton, George N.
Osgood, Leland L.
Suythe, Wallace K
Atkins, James M.
Beaton, Russel F.
Belzarine, Louis J. Jr.
Benson, Barney
Comer, William D.
Kwaak, Herberty C.
Raby, Robert T.
Sudak, John
Blair, Jeff G.
Netterville, Le Ray T.
Stormont, F.E.
Barth, William H.
Bruner, Glenn L.
Fenster, Duane M.
Gunderson, Gene R.
Hupp, Ray Jr.
Maloney, William P. Jr.
Christenson, Dorin K.
Ergle, Alva C.
Pfeiffer, William F.
Peterson, Roy H.
Brown, George S.
Dunning, George K.
Fauth, James E.
Hammon, Samuel J.
Lownstein, Victor H.
Minch, Fred Scott
Tanelian, George
Tucker, William H.
Whipple, Irving W.
Teates, Kenneth E.
Barlow, Arthur C.
Potter, Leonard M.
Alem, Peter L.
Barton, James R.
Clayton, Ronald J.C.
Hart, William S.
Hintz, Walter E.
Mikulski, Wassil
Gilmore, Donald L.
Foy, William Fred Jr.
Ellrot, Norbert J.
Morgan, Donald P.
Kusiak, Richard E.
Campbell, James X.
Craddock, Elving C.
Sneed, John W.
Eklund, Burton A.
Fogarty, William P.
Hebstrom, Bruce A.
Hickey, John F.

Scollan, Felix Jr.
Wold, Leland R.
Azer, William S. Jr.
Edwards, Claude F.
Applegate, Sidney S.
Grisez, Reginald Jr.
Maleio, Arnaud Peter Jr.
Gould, Meredith William
Marquat, Joseph Melvin
Burns, Frederick M.
Watson, Robert
Barry, John Edward
Campbell, Robert E.
Krausaukas, Edward S.
Muelenbeck, Robert C.
Taylor, Donald B.
Siden, Harry W.
Hanlan, Kirk Allan
Rud, Duane Elmer

Lost Squadron Flight 19:

Baluk, B.E. Jr.
Bossi, J.T.
Devlin, G.F.
Gallivan, R.F.
Gerber, F.J.
Gruebel, R.P.
Lightfoot, W.E.
Paonessa, G.R.
Parpart, W.R.
Powers, Edward J.
Stivers, G.W.
Taylor, Charles C. - Squadron Leader
Thelander, A.H.
Thompson, H.O

NAS Banana River-
PBM-5 Mariner:

Allen, Roger M.
Arceneaux, Charles D.
Cameron, Robert
Cargill, Wiley D. Sr.
Cone, Harrie G.
Eliason, Lloyd A.
Jeffery, Walter G. - Pilot of PBM-5 Mariner
Jordan, James F.
Menendez, John
Neeman, Philip B.
Osterheld, James F.
Peterson, Donald E.
Zywicki, Joseph A.

A Navy Park is Built

In 1989, Walter Houghton, Assistant Fort Lauderdale Airport Director, noticed the efforts of Allan McElhiney and the NASFLHA and received permission to build a Navy Park on the east side of the FAA tower. Walter found a plaque dedicated to Flight 19 designed by the Woman's Council Navy League that had been stored in a warehouse and he had a special Memorial monument built to display it. The monument also holds an original WWII torpedo bomber (TBM) propeller mounted at the top, against the background of the tower. The small park was completed in 1990.

The wife and daughter of Captain Edward Powers USMC who was part of the Lost Patrol, arrived for the opening. After the ceremony was over, they told Walter that it was the nicest thing that had happened since the Lost Flight of December 5, 1945. Edward's daughter mentioned that “Since my dad was lost at sea, by having this mounted here, I now find true peace for the first time since he died.”

This memorial monument will be moved to the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum, which houses the story of Flight 19. The move will be completed by the end of 2013. The Flight 19 Memorial Ceremony will be performed on the grounds of this historic Museum.

Flight 19 Memorial. Photo: Minerva Bloom, 2010. © NASFL Museum.

67th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony
Program Sample - 5 December 2012

View Gallery from the 2012 - 67th Anniversary of US Navy Flight 19 Memorial Ceremony

Past US Navy Flight 19 Memorials

- Click on thumbnails to enlarge and read descriptions -

Eagles' All – On Navy Wings

14 men 5 metal birds-from the earth did soar
From Lauderdale's shore to the Bahamas bound--
To apprentice the ways of war.

Eagles' all on Navy wings
The engines roar, their song.
It should have been easy – a practice run
How could anything go wrong?

But the past was not
the present's father that day.
Change was in the wind.

Which island below? Which way do we go?
We'll press on further and see.
On a static filled radio – we hear them yet.
Which heading? Which course?
How long?

Day changes to night.
Then silence.
Is Flight 19 really gone?

The years roll by like a curtain.
And we wonder – what happened to them?
Did the wind blow them into confusion?
Naw... they were too good.
And we wonder again.

The compass lied... but there were five.
No sense can we make, there's no trend.

Did they crash in a swamp or ditch in the sea?
We ponder the place of their grave.
But when the wondering's done— there isn't much left.
And only one truth can we save.

They were eagles all, on Navy Wings
and they flew
To eternity.

– Written by Jim Reynolds –

List of Those Who Perished at the NASFL

A Navy Park is Built

67th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony Program Sample - 5 December 2012

Past US Navy Flight 19 Memorials

Eagles' All – On Navy Wings

67th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony
Program Sample - 5 December 2012