Commemorating Those Lost at Bakers Creek

20 June 2016

From Julia LeDoux

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL -- The lives and legacies of the American Soldiers who were killed in an aircraft crash, considered to be the worst accident involving a transport plane in the southwest Pacific during World War II, were honored during a ceremony June 14 on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

The event, which took place at the Bakers Creek Air Crash Monument near the Selfridge Gate entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the air crash in Queensland, Australia that killed 40 Army Air Corps Soldiers aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off June 14, 1943.

JBM-HH Commander Col. Mike Henderson, JBM-HH Command Sgt. Maj. Randall E. Woods, Australian Ambassador to the United States Joe Hockey and Air Commodore Gary Martin, Australian air marshal and assistant defense attache, laid two wreaths at the memorial. One of the wreaths was in tribute from the Australian Embassy, the other from the joint base on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

"It is fitting that the memorial found its home here with Arlington National Cemetery serving as a backdrop," Henderson said. "The cemetery, with its rows of tombstones, serves to remind us of the many men and women who have served and gave their lives for our great nation."

Henderson noted that June 14 is not only the date of the Bakers Creek Crash, but also marked the 241st birthday of the United States Army.

"So, today is the perfect opportunity to honor the sacrifices of all our men and women who serve and those who have served in the ranks of the United States Army, their families and those who have fallen and paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today," he said.

The Soldiers were returning from a rest and relaxation break from the war and were headed back to Papua, New Guinea to continue their service. Why the aircraft plummeted to the ground only a couple of minutes after takeoff remains a mystery. The B-17 crashed near the town of Bakers Creek, which is about five miles from the city of Mackay.

Dr. Robert Cutler, executive director of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, spoke on behalf of the families and friends of the fallen.

"Like other patriotic commemorations, we believe it is important and indeed our duty to pay tribute and to remember this historic event," he said. "The unique feature of this tragedy is not simply the number of deaths, but rather the extraordinary loss that occurred to so many American families and Australian friends simultaneously."

A similar ceremony was held two weeks ago near the crash site in Australia, Cutler said.

The monument, a gift to the Secretary of the Army by the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, was placed at the joint base in 2008. It contains the names of those who died as well as the crash's sole survivor, Cpl. Foye Kenneth Roberts, who died in 2004 at age 83. The memorial's base is made of Queensland-pink granite and is a gift from the citizens of Queensland and the government of Australia.

"Australia is the only country in the world to have fought in every single major battle with the United States since the Fourth of July 1918," said Hockey. "What this does is further symbolize the depth and breadth of the relationship between our two countries, which is reflected even today in our Soldiers, our Air Forces, our Navies, and our Marines working together."