Once again, Hopkinsville came together Wednesday to remember the Fort Campbell soldiers and crew members that were killed in the crash of their return flight home in Gander, Newfoundland in 1985.
Second Brigade Combat Team Commander Joseph Escandon was the guest speaker, making the trip to Hopkinsville from Fort Campbell’s remembrance service. He focused on the dedication this community has shown in remembering the fallen since the plane crash and staying an ever present friend of Fort Campbell.
He says President Ronald Reagan visited Fort Campbell in the days following the incident to remember that the soldiers weren’t just warriors, but peacekeepers.
The soldiers had been returning home from a peacekeeping mission in the Sinai Peninsula when their plane went down near Gander, Newfoundland. At the ceremony, 248 students from area high and middle schools sang the national anthem and Mayor Carter Hendricks and Fiscal Court Magistrate Rich Liebe laid a wreath in honor of the soldiers.
This year, the widows and families of the fallen laid orange roses on the memorial, by their loved ones names.
