GRAND FORKS – A ceremony to dedicate the plaque that commemorates the five Grand Forks Air Force Base airmen, victims of an explosion on base in 1983, is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Veterans Memorial Park, 2357 S. 34th St.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
The recently-installed “Honor and Remember 6507” plaque is displayed on a three-foot-high block of reinforced concrete situated near the replica of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress at Veterans Memorial Park.
It was donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Prairie Grass Chapter, to commemorate and honor the five GFAFB airmen who died in an explosion after a training mission on base Jan. 27, 1983.
Contributed / Peggy Vanyo
The ceremony will include the Presentation of Colors by GFAFB Color Guard and remarks by Mayor Brandon Bochenski and U.S. Air Force Col. Tom Saddler (Ret.) of Grand Forks.
Peggy Vanyo, chapter regent of Prairie Grass, Grand Forks, will serve as mistress of ceremonies and give a talk, “The Five Airmen.”
Tuesday’s ceremony program also includes the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, the unveiling of the plaque by Peggy Palmer and Prairie Grass DAR members, an invocation and benediction by Erin Navarro, and the rifle salute and Taps. Palmer is the widow of North Dakota Air National Guard Brigadier General Al Palmer, who led the successful campaign to raise funds for, plan and construct the 6.2-acre Veterans Memorial Park, which was formally dedicated Sept. 11, 2021. He died in November 2021, at age 69.
On Jan. 27, 1983, several B-52 bombers of the 319th Bomb Wing conducted training exercises and, after returning to the base, it was discovered that Bomber 6507 had an error with postflight maintenance. Technicians went aboard the craft to address a circuit breaker issue when the valve motor ignited the explosive fuel vapor in the tank. An explosion resulted in the fuselage falling to the ground, blocking the crew exit, and leaving the technicians trapped inside the craft as it burned.
The GFAFB airmen who died that day: Senior Airman Robert William Gray, 23; Airman 1st Class Michael F. McDonald, 23; Robin D. Rise, 20; Anthony M. Salva, 21; and Scott A. Wicik, 24.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, an American long-range strategic bomber, has been in service by the U.S. Air Force since 1955, according to the reading on the plaque. The B-52 is one of the most recognizable aircrafts in the world, with a wingspan of 185 feet, the ability to reach speeds up to 650 mph, and a range of 8,800 miles.
