THE WALL OF FACES

Thank you for your service to our country so long ago sir. As long as you are remembered you will always be with us….

Airman First Class Paul David Grosick, Served with the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron, 509th Bomb Wing, Strategic Air Command.

Dear A1C Paul Grosick,
Thank you for your service with the 509th Field Maintenance Squadron. It has been too long, and it's about time for us all to acknowledge the sacrifices of those like you who answered our nation's call. Please watch over America, it stills needs your strength, courage 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]

I was walking through saint alphonsus cemetery and saw your name. Im not sure what else to say. I wish you were still here. its not fair that you died.