Fort Campbell’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team remembered the 248 Fort Campbell soldiers and eight crew members killed when their plane went down shortly after takeoff near Gander Newfoundland on the 33rd anniversary of the tragedy Wednesday morning on post.
The soldiers, primarily assigned to 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, were on their way home from a peace-keeping mission in the Sinai Peninsula and “Strike” Commander, Col. Joseph Escandon says families waiting to greet their loved ones on post were met with unspeakable tragedy that morning.
It was the final remembrance ceremony at the current memorial on post that’s hosted the programs every year since the first anniversary in 1986. Col. Escandon says the 256 Canadian Maple Sugar trees that honor each victim have begun struggling to survive due to their size and proximity to each other.
The current memorial stone is being relocated to an area near the Don F. Pratt Museum, where new trees will be planted alongside trees moved to that site from the original memorial.
Fort Campbell also honored the victims with a wreath-laying and a 21-gun salute.
Video and audio from 101st Airborne Division Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/101st/videos/777072762625264/?__tn__=kCH-R&eid=ARAZh8sUKFIiRXvalDa0vv6EcFm4vN-1XeyAAvnHeX9ggr35Zu_h2jyeLVOYZihVTc-6Wm3laSxxXdkP&hc_ref=ARQ-of3KmFp5sYF4zmVHLDfihD63b3VaitML-RjFaLx0PXmT4pxgTOLV2fKYu-pO0Mo&fref=nf