Tragic Crash on Mt. Beacon is Remembered During Path Through History Weekend

The history in this region is inspiring, and at times tremendously sad. This weekend on June 20th, 2015 as part of Path Through History Weekend at I Love New York, a hike will commence up Mt. Beacon at 10am to remember the six Navy personnel who were killed thirty minutes after leaving Wright Caldwell Airport in Caldwell, NJ en-route back to the Quonset Air Naval Base in Quonset, RI after their Navy Beechcraft Twin Engine Transport plane crashed near the northwest ridge of Mt. Beacon in the Town of Fishkill, NY. The hike will end at the crash site.

The Friends of the Mt. Beacon Six are responsible for organizing this walk to remember the men who died in the crash, which happened on November 11, 1945, just two years before November 11th officially became Veterans Day, in addition to already being Armistice Day, the official end of World War 1. The mission of The Friends of Mt. Beacon Six is to remember all of the men who died that day.

The plane crash happened at noon on a foggy day with "swirling rain," according to a recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, right after the pilots had radioed the Stewart Airfield in Newburgh as they flew over, asking for directions and weather conditions. If you have seen Mt. Beacon on a rainy or foggy day, you know it can be quite thick up there.

The crash killed all 6 men on board immediately as it was engulfed in flames and black smoke. The fog was so thick, that it took searchers 15 hours to find the wreckage. When night fell, the dying fires from the crash illuminated the location. John Ferro's article in the Poughkeepsie Journal has a very detailed account of the crash.

The article also highlighted one man, Commodore Dixie Keifer, who was not from this area but had been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by Beacon native James V. Forrestal, who was the last Cabinet-level United States Secretary of the Navy and the first United States Secretary of Defense. Forrestal also once served as city editor of the Poughkeepsie News Press, a predecessor of the Poughkeepsie Journal. The article explores Dixie's service, heroism, and incredible threshold for pain while saving others during times of suicide plane attacks on his navel carrier and other crucial moments of survival. His life ended instantly here, after serving in World War II and rising up the ranks past captain to become commodore. His muddy cap is depicted in the picture above, which was published at the Poughkeepsie Journal.

The other men are mentioned in the story, and I'll repeat them here to help with the Friends of the Mt. Beacon Six's mission of remembrance:

• Lt. Cmdr. Dr. Ignatius Zielinski, 45, of Salem, Massachusetts. Zielinski was assistant medical officer at Quonset and a medical examiner in Salem County prior to entering the service.
• Lt. Lloyd P. Heinzen, 23, of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Heinzen was the senior pilot of the plane. During eight months of combat in the Pacific, he shot down eight Japanese planes, earning the title of "ace."
• Lt. Hans K. Kohler, 25, of Garfield, New Jersey, the plane's co-pilot.
• Clarence Hooper, 23, an aviation machinist's mate third-class from Greensboro, North Carolina.
• David O. Wood, 23, a seaman first-class from North Franklin, Connecticut.

This is one more reason to gaze at the mountain in awe and appreciation for this land, what others have given for our country, and the moments we live in now. Hikers are meeting at the Scenic Hudson Fishkill Ridge Parking lot at 10:00am to commence up Mt. Beacon to the crash site.