[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 193 (Monday, November 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE 1961 PLANE CRASH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RYAN MACKENZIE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2025

  Mr. MACKENZIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on behalf of the people of 
the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos, to honor the memory of the 29 
victims who lost their lives in a tragic plane crash on November 8, 
1961, including fourteen young men from Bethlehem.
  These young soldiers, most just out of high school, were on their way 
to basic training at Fort Jackson when their flight went down outside 
Richmond, Virginia. In an instant, families lost sons and brothers. Our 
community lost neighbors, classmates, and friends. And our Nation lost 
young patriots preparing to serve in defense of freedom during one of 
the darkest chapters of the Cold War.
  In the aftermath, their sacrifice led to reforms in military air 
transport standards--changes that have saved countless lives in the 
decades since. What was once a devastating loss became a catalyst for 
increased accountability and safety.
  Today, a monument in Bethlehem stands as a reminder of the price 
these families paid and the values these young men embodied: service, 
duty, and love of country.
  May we never forget their names, their courage, or the community that 
still feels their absence more than sixty years later. And may their 
memory continue to inspire gratitude and resolve in all of us who 
benefit from the freedoms they never had the chance to fully 
experience.
  We remember them and include their names in the Record:

       Albert W. Andreas, Robert S. Bedics, Barry A. Brandt, 
     Donald F. Doyle, Thomas D. Gasda, Richard W. Jones, Joseph J. 
     Kobli, Stephen M. Kobli, Leroy Kranch, Jr., Thomas A. Motko, 
     Michael Placotaris, Albert J. Rice, John D. Schuler, and 
     Charles D. Yeakel.

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