[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  WORLD WAR II BAKERS CREEK AIR CRASH

  Mr. SPECTER Mr. President, I have sought recognition today to honor 
the 40 American soldiers who tragically perished at Bakers Creek, 
Queensland, Australia on June 14, 1943. Their deaths came as a result 
of the crash of a B-17C Flying Fortress, which proved to be the worst 
aviation disaster of the Southwest Pacific theatre during World War II. 
More soldiers died on that plane from my home State of Pennsylvania--
six--than from any other State. These six men were: Pvt. James E. 
Finney; T/Sgt. Alfred H. Frezza; Sgt. Donald B. Kyper; Pfc. Frank S. 
Penksa; Sgt. Anthony Rudnick; and Cpl. Raymond H. Smith.
  Only recently has the Air Force shared the details of this incident. 
As a result, most of the victims' families were left in the dark about 
the specifics surrounding their loved ones' deaths in World War II. For 
over a decade, the members of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, 
based in Orrtanna, PA, led by George Washington University professor 
Robert S. Cutler, have worked to locate the victims' families and to 
notify them of the circumstances of the tragic mishap. Because of the 
dedication of this small group of military veterans, the families of 36 
of the 40 casualties now have been contacted, including those of: 
Private Finney, Technical Sergeant Frezza, Sergeant Kyper, and Private 
First Class Penksa. The Bakers Creek Memorial Association continues to 
search for family relatives of the remaining 4 victims.
  The aircraft that crashed at Bakers Creek had been operated by the 
U.S. Army Air Force's 46th Transport Carrier Squadron, of the Fifth Air 
Force. The plane was one of several B-17 bomber aircraft that had been 
removed from combat status and converted to transport service. Shortly 
after take-off from Mackay airport, the B-17C lost altitude, fell to 
earth in a slow and steady bank, and crashed in a ball of flames, 5 
miles south at Bakers Creek. The 40 lost onboard included 6 crew 
members and 34 soldiers returning to their New Guinea battlefield posts 
after being on R&R leave in Australia. The crash left one survivor, 
Foye K. Roberts, an Army corporal at the time of the accident. Mr. 
Roberts recently passed away on February 4, 2004, at the age of 83.
  I understand that retired Major General Robert H. Appleby, former 
commander of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, who lost an uncle in 
the crash, and other members of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, 
plan to place a wreath on June 14 at the National World War II Memorial 
in Washington, DC, to commemorate the 62nd Anniversary of the crash.
  I applaud the members of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association and 
thank them for their efforts to help bring closure to the casualty 
families and public remembrance of the forty forgotten American 
soldiers of World War II in the Southwest Pacific, who perished at 
Bakers Creek in Australia on June 14, 1943.

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