910th Tactical Airlift Group Memorial
Vienna Township, Trumbull County, Ohio
Marker Inscription
910th Tactical Airlift Group Dedicated to the memory of the following aircrew members who lost their lives in a crash of a C119 while on an over water training flight to Puerto Rico. 14 December 1968
The Story
In the Cold War decades after World War II, Air Force Reserve units like the 910th trained constantly to keep America's airlift capability ready, moving troops and cargo on long missions far from home. The twin-boomed C-119 'Flying Boxcar' was a workhorse transport of that era, and even routine flights over open water carried real danger. On a December 1968 training mission bound for Puerto Rico, this aircrew was lost โ a reminder that peacetime service can still demand the ultimate sacrifice.
Why it matters
It honors reservists who gave their lives not in battle but in the daily, unglamorous work of keeping the nation's airlift ready โ the kind of service that rarely makes headlines yet underpins American military readiness.
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Related events
- ยท Crash of a C-119 during an over-water training flight to Puerto Rico, 14 December 1968
Themes & tags
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