THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will remain in our hearts forever….

Dear Tsgt Gene Lauer, Thank you for your service with the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron. Saying thank you isn't enough, but it is from the heart. For many of us, we have begun Lent. The time passes quickly. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage, guidance and faithfulness. Rest in peace with the angels.

On September 24, 1968, a USAF Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker (#55-3133) from the 902nd Refueling Squadron was flying from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam to Honolulu’s Hickman Air Force Base when it encountered engine problems and diverted to Wake Island, a coral atoll in the western Pacific Ocean, where it crashed after skipping off the water. Eleven of 56 airmen aboard were killed, and another 23 were injured, 14 seriously. The landing gear on the tanker was still retracted when FAA tower observers at Wake saw the plane hit the Pacific waters just short of the 9,000-foot runway, then skip onto the atoll’s runway which is 10 feet above sea level. The Stratotanker skidded wheels up over a mile, its wings and tail assembly breaking off before bursting into flames after striking Instrument Landing System aerials. Rescue workers quickly arrived on scene and were credited for saving many lives. They foamed the plane, opened emergency exits, and pulled the airmen out. All the passengers that were killed were in the tail section of the fuselage. They included SGT Alfred I. Brooks, SGT Arthur B. Crews, A1C Paul D. Grosick, A1C Richard L. Halgren, SGT Carl V. Hansen, SGT John L. Johnson, TSGT Gene A. Lauer, A1C Allan S. Major, A1C Kenneth W. Shook, A1C Larry E. Wright, and SSGT John M. Quigley. The eleven lost airmen had their names added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in May 1986. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, aviation-safety.net, “Voices from an Old Warrior: Why KC-135 Safety Matters” by Christopher J.B. Hoctor, and “11 of 56 GIs Killed In AF Tanker Crash.” Syracuse Post Standard (Syracuse, NY), September 25, 1969]

Dear TSGT Gene Allen Lauer, sir

As an American, I would like to thank you for your service and for your sacrifice made on behalf of our wonderful country. The youth of today could gain much by learning of heroes such as yourself, men and women whose courage and heart can never be questioned.

May God allow you to read this, and may He allow me to someday shake your hand when I get to Heaven to personally thank you. May he also allow my father to find you and shake your hand now to say thank you; for America, and for those who love you.

With respect, and the best salute a civilian can muster for you, Sir

Curt Carter

Dear Gene, to honor your memory and the sacrifice you made for our country I want to make sure your photo will be displayed on your birthday each and every year when the Education Center is completed, so it is with great pride and humility that I post this remembrance along with your photo, which was sent to me by Diana Cheunes at Shamokin High School who was able to procure a Remembrance book from a gentleman from Shamokin, PA. You are not forgotten and remain in the hearts of many all these years later. You have been designated to be one of God's special angels, along with the love of my life, who also sacrificed his life during this war. God Bless You, Gene, for being who you were and for all you did--we live in freedom to this day thanks to heroes like you.