MEMORIAL CRASH SITE AJ-1 BUNO #122590 The following article is from the Naval Air Station Patuxent River "Tester" Newsletter of February 28, 2002. PASTOR WORKING TO HONOR THREE KILLED ON PAX-BOUND PLANE by Brian Seraile PUBLIC AFFAIRS A Virginia pastor is working to raise $3,000 for a memorial to honor three men killed in a plane crash 52 years ago. The three were returning to Patuxent River from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., when their AJ-1 "Savage" bomber went down in Bedford County, Va. The money will pay for a bronze marker and sculpture to memorialize Lt. Cmdr. Willard Sampson and civilians Holiday Lee Turner and James A. Moore, Jr., who all died in the crash. "These men have fallen through the cracks of history," said Jeffrey W. Clemens, an Army veteran who worked in military intelligence from 1982 to 1986 and now serves as pastor of the New Prospect Church in Bedford. Clemens, who has a strong interest in aviation and history, learned about the crash 13 years ago. He visited the crash site and was unable to find a scrap of the AJ-1. "The crash site is now crowded with cows who have no interest in Naval aviation," Clemens said. "The actual site is a rented field long since picked bare by the Navy. After the crash, the wreckage was guarded by the Marines." The most useful information about the crash has come from a local newspaper, a Navy accident report, the men's death certificates and a witness. "Reconstructing what happened on the evening of June 22, over half a century later, is quite a daunting task," Clemens said. "With each passing year, memories fade and the ranks of witnesses diminish." Clemens has sent a letter to Holiday Lee Turner's son in hopes of learning more about the crash and getting his participation in dedicating the memorial. Finding family members and raising the money may be a challenge, but Clemens knows it can be done because he has done it before. He spearheaded the effort to build a memorial to five other airmen whose B-25 crashed in Bedford in 1943 during a night training mission. Last Memorial Day, more than 100 Bedford-area residents and family members of the crash victims showed up to see a bronze marker dedicated. Families came from as far as Georgia and Canada, and one family member told the local newspaper that he learned more about his uncle, who was killed in the crash, than he had heard from his family. At the Memorial Day dedication, Clemens said there were tears, joy and healing. "Obviously it takes time to go through it emotionally," said Clemens. "It's a difficult thing to go through but it's positive once it is concluded." Bedford is located approximately half way between Roanoke and Lynchburg along highway 460 and is home to an expansive memorial commemorating D-day that was dedicated last year. The "Savage" memorial will be placed at Glenwood Plaza in Huddleston, Va., a few miles from where the crash occurred. There is a grassy strip nearby where people fly radio-controlled model aircraft. Clemens said the location is the best choice for the marker to keep the memory of Sampson, Turner and Moore in the public eye. "They never made it home," Clemens said of the three lost airmen. "Let's bring them home." ------------- The dedication of the memorial did take place, thanks to Jeffrey Clemens and American Legion Post 54. See update in Guest Book. A solid wooden model representing "590" (top of page) was presented to NAS Patuxent River a part of the memorial. It was commissioned by Clemens from Winston Uy - eware_phil@yahoo.com and cost $90, including shipping. (Web manager note: The model is actually of an AJ-2, as can be seen by the tail configuration - some AJ-1 aircraft were subsequently re-configured, but "590" had the original configuration. However Clemons and Uy are commended for their efforts). Jeffrey Clemens served with the 73rd CBTI Aerial Surveillance in the '80s. Some of you may remember the 73rd from Vietnam, where they flew the Grumman Mohawk JOV-1A and 1C. -------------- Buno 122590 was the first AJ-1 production model, and was on a ferry flight from Edwards AFB to Patuxent River NAS when it crashed near Bedford VA on June 22, 1950. ------------- Two of the three prototype XAJ-1 aircraft also crashed during development. The prototypes were Buno 121460, 121461 and 121462. Buno 121461 lost the tail section during rudder sideslip tests in 1949 and crashed near Los Angeles CA, with both crew lost. Buno 121462 had a wing failure at Edwards AFB in 1949 and crashed, with both crew surviving. Thank you Jeffrey Clemens - JeffreyClemens@webtv.net