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Show HE BLIZZARD shrieked across the mountaintop, piling snowdrifts against the side of our wrecked transport plane. Snow whipped in through the torn fuselage. My headached, and I was shivering with cold and shock. But I knew I had_to:-stop-the-snow-coming into the cabin, or the injured and I would freeze to death. I took hold of the torn metal and tried to bend it into the opening to cut the wind. The metal tore into my hands, but it wouldn’t budge. I thought: What does it matter? We'll never get out of this. I had felt good that. morning. I was winding up an inspection tour of U.S. Air Force recreational facilities in Turkey and heading back to my permanent post in Germany. We wereflying over mountains in Greece when the plane’ was suddenly buffeted by tremendous turbulence-and~-spun~into~a-steep—bank.—Thén, abruptly, the fuselage tore apart, and I was propelled- out of the plane at about 150-miles-an-hour —without a parachute! 1 don’t remember hitting the ground, nor do f t. WhenI struggled to see ing but. dense fog. Then it cleared enough for me to make out the plane wreckage about 140 yards away. As if ina nightmare, I tried to walk toward it. My neck was.sore, and I was cold. My cap had been blown off by the wind,-and—I-was wearing — only a summer flying suit. in plane,I:asurvey: per-— sons were dead, including the pilot and copilot. Bythe next morning, two survivors had died. I could see our.chances slipping away. I had to do something. About noon, it cleared up for perhaps three minutes. This might be our only chance. I had to get out of the clouds to signal for help. Hastily I grabbed.a compass and a red paraehute-(with which I hoped to attract planes flying overhead) and headed east—and down. I’d gone about 30 yards when the fog closed in again, and lost sight of the tail section. 1 almost turned back, not once but six times. — But each time:I remembered my conversation with God. No matter what was going to happen; T didn’t intend to meet my Maker without being able to say I did my best. After descending about a mile, I got clear of the fog and stood on a ridge. I held up the red parachute andlet it flap in the wind. Barely 15 Five others were still alive but in bad shape. My first thought was to provide shelter for the survivors while they were stilh unconscious. The blizzard was blowing with terrific force into the open gap of the rear section. I had to find some wayto block it: But when I tried to bend the fuselage’s torn metal to cut the wind,I didn’t have the strength. It simply wouldn’t give! : Then something curious‘happened.I had a conversation with God. Call it a prayer, if you like. I said to myself: God has kept mealive so far, and it’s up to-me to use-all-my strength to keep these men and myself alive. But God, if Ypu really want me to bend this metal, I need w strength as well as my own. These words suddenly brought strength pouring through my arms. I was able to force the Metalacross the opening. Then I cut open the minutes later I was spotted by a plane. The pilot turned and dipped his wing to in- baggage and stuffed it and some loose pieces of wreckage into the remainder of the hole before covering it all up with two parachutes. T-now-had-a_new--worry.-I-could_see.that_our. plane was hanging on the edge of a cliff. Ten —feet-farther-and-it-would-plunge-over-the-edge. into a 3,000-foot ravine. Back inside the fuselage, I could feel the airplane slipping. It was only a matter of time until we went over. I figured we had 48 hours—if we were lucky. After I’d covered everyone with two para- dicate that he saw me.I pointed in the direction of the crash, He turned,circled, and then headed directly toward the wreckage to indicate he understood what I’d tried to say. I stumbled back to thewreckage, numbedbyfatigueand the cc The next day, two helicopters landed nearby. Soon after, a Greek rescue team arrived on foot. Of the survivors, I was the only one who wasn’t hospitalized. Throughout the time of waiting, my wife Lea never lost hope. Ourfive children had the same reaction, too. |. chutes apiece, I looked around for thé survival After the crash—before anyone heard about radio. I found it, but it didn’t work. Then dark- -Air Force wouldhave____possible_s rvivors—my son who’s awayatcol- a massive search on for ug, but with no_radio z might not locate us for a week. *CaptoinSaith-wos-cwarded the Airmon's Medal.of Heroiam for saving the lies of four men, including his own, following thie crash cartier this yest. S35 lege wired my wife: always been “Don’t worry about Dad. be against'is?” @ - > Te God is with us, who can 3 oe “Pamily Weekly, November 6, 1966 |