Close Call

[L Verge]

(04-12-2017 10:50 AM)HerbS Wrote:  bingo-glad that you are safe!

Thanks, Herb. The area is still being searched by military crews trying to find pieces of the wreckage, and there is still a slight smell of jet fuel when you get close to the area. Residents are being warned not to touch any debris that they find.

This is the third time in my lifetime that a jet from Andrews has crashed near me. While my father was participating in the Korean War, my uncle was helping my mother and I in doing yard work one weekend. Suddenly, there was a very loud, screeching sound. We looked up in time to see a jet nose-diving to the ground about a quarter-mile north of our house.

My uncle was in the army, so he knew what was happening. In those days, there was not instant communication nor volunteer fire departments. The three of us were actually the first on the scene. I have a vivid memory of Uncle Clyde grabbing me up at one point and holding me in his arms. He did so because I was getting ready to step on a portion of the pilot's arm.

There was another crash about five miles from our house during the 50s also. This one crashed in a school yard right outside the base. I believe it was during the summer, and only the pilot was killed. I was very thankful when I heard that the pilot this time had ejected safely.

There are benefits to living in the flight patterns of Andrews; I know each time a President flies overhead - I actually waved good-by to Richard Nixon as he flew over my front lawn. We don't have to fight the crowds to see the air shows (Thunderbirds and Blue Angels), and we know whenever the stand-by crews are scrambled for training or threats.

When I went away to college, I actually missed the noise.