Show Young Guardsman Gets Burns In Convoy Mish Mishap p Last Sunday Ro Robert ert Beck 17 member of ofA ofA ofA A Battery Field Artillery was severely burned in front of many of his guardsmen buddies buddies bud bud- ud- ud dies including many as the men of the were returning home from a week end of firing at Camp Williams The mishap occurred in downtown Provo shortly after noon on Sunday Young Beck an all- all state basketball player for North Sanpete High School was rid riding riding riding rid rid- ing in a Jeep with Earl Madsen and Bud Carlson both bothof of Mt Pleasants Pleasant's A Battery Manti tanti men who were at the scene of the accident a said the Jeep was apparently struck by byan byan byan an A Battery truck reportedly driven by Robert Shelley The Jeep came to a sudden stop for fora a 1 traffic light they report and the truck struck the Jeep and tipped it on its top as it tried to swerve to avoid hitting it On Scene Early Kent Stott member of Mantis Manti's Service Battery was in a truck just behind the jeep and the truck involved in the accident and said he was laying on the side jump seat with the side side curtains rolled up Kent says he heard the crash saw the J Jeep p turned over and he and David Keller immediately leaped leaped leaped leap leap- ed from the truck and ran to the scene With these two were Ronald Gowers Cowers and E Eugene u g e n e Funk also of Service Battery and they went about helping the men out of the overturned Jeep Kent says Carlson got free of the Jeep and there are conflicting conflicting conflicting con con- reports of or what happen happen- ed He was drenched with gas gas- oline and md ran from the scene tearing off his clothes for fear of catching fire Madsen was just dust clear of the Jeep and Beck was just starting out when the vehicle exploded according to Kent He says the B Be Beck e c k youth had to rock back in an n apparent effort to free himself and when he came from the Jeep was literally a human torch Men Ien Fight Flames The men yelled for or Beck to toi i toll oil according accordIng- to Kent and af after atter at- at ter he ran a short way he stopped stopped stop stop- ped to tear at at his burning clothes He lie started to run ae again a- a e gain gln in and was knocked down by Gowers or an A Battery man according to conflicting reports Guardsmen came running to his aid nid trying to smother mother the flames fJames I with field jackets and overcoats I Kent Stott David Keller Dougas Doug- Doug as as Lund and John A Allen len Steens Stevens Stevens Ste Ste- vens ens were all nIl in on this but none of them was much conscIous conscious conscious cons cons- cious of who else was around John Allen and Douglas said Beck was down and two men mete were covering him when t the they h e y arrived and that they smothered smother smother- ed the flames on his head and shoulders with a series of or coats John Allen said he thought Beck fell rather than being knocked down and said they burned and scorched several coats getting the flames extinguished Others Lightly Burned In all there were five men burned in the mishap but only Beck was serious He lie received burns over an nn estimated 00 90 of his body A phone call by this paper Tuesday evening re revealed revealed revealed re- re that he be is holding his own with his condition listed as ns no better and no worse Madsen was burned on the back but rolled the flames out and on Tuesday was about Mt Picas Pleasant ant and feeling okay Kent Stott and Ronald Gowers Gowers Gowers Gow Gow- ers ers both oth got blistered hands and were wearing bandages the first of the week Eugene Funk received slight burns and a few other guardsmen reported a hot time as they tried to roll the I Jeep out of the way Burned But Rational The Guard Guardsmen men report the burned man was rational and calm after the flames were ex extinguished extinguished extinguished ex- ex and he caught his breath Of his clothes only his shorts and boots remained on him and it was only in these areas that h he was not charred The men of Service Battery say his hands bands were horribly burned his hair was gone and that his skin was badly burned in most parts of his body John Allen Stevens says he does not know what kind of a abat abat ahat bat hat Beck Deck was wearing but ventures ventures ventures ven ven- tures that it was a helmet liner or a cap The Th hat hat band melted and ran down covering Becks Beck's cne eye and had to be lifted off so he could see sec John Allen says the burned youth kept in insisting insisting insisting in- in to his buddies that he wasn't going going to die from the injury Douglas Lund says it was evident evi evident evi- evi dent that the man was in great pain although he took it brave brave- ly At one ne point Douglas says B Beck ck looked up at David Hafen cf tf A Battery and said God Dave it hurts Ralph Larsen Larson helped pull Becks Beck's boots off and said they were too hot to hold In his hands He said the feet were not trot charred like the rest of the body but thought they would blister bUster Crowd A Menace A huge crowd collected im immediately immediately immediately im- im mediately as the convoy halted and the Guardsmen were all abouL about a- a bout bouL Many members of Service Battery were right behind Beck in the c convoy and they joined other men in forming forming forming form form- ing a circle about the burned comrade and in helping to di direct direct direct di- di traffic away from the vehicles All of them report that the crowd was unruly and hard to handle The burning Jeep was carrying carrying carrying carry carry- ing live liv ammunition estimated from to rounds a and n d when it started exploding a Sergeant thought to be Madsen ladsen yelled live ammo The Th crowd and md the Guardsmen scattered scattered scattered scat scat- fast fasL Miraculously nobody was as injured d by the exploding 1 ammunition Outstanding Young Man Ian Young Beck is reported to be bea bel a l lvery very personable young man manby manby manby by all who know him He was chosen on the state all basket- basket hall naIl team and was termed d by some writers as The brains of the Ram team He has been offered some fine basketball scholarships for college work The men of Service Battery join In wishing him well and in hoping hop hop- lug ing he can soon be able to take advantage ge of the opportunities nud and promising future ahead for JI him 1 L 1 r Man Man- Among the me members of ui VI ti's U's Service Battery traveling in private cars car and military vehicles vehicles cles in the convoy be behind hind the vehicles s in the a accident were Roger Jorgensen Richard Boyington Boyington Boyington Boy Boy- ington Douglas Lund J John o 0 lh h n nAllen Allen AHen Stevens Ronnie Thompson Thomp Thomp- son Ion Lynn Hurst Kent Stott David Keller Eugene Funk Ronald Gowers Douglas Larsen Lee Anderson Alma Carlisle Richard Wheatley Bruce Peacocks Peacock Peacock Pea Pea- cock cocks Jerry Brown Tom Anderson Anders Ander Ander- s son soil n Larry Jensen Alan Hansell Hansen Han- Han sell sen Ralph Larsen Leon Sand Sand- strom and possibly several oth oth- ers Many men were in the tho convoy con section ahead of the accident ac accident accident ac- ac and some of them in including including in- in eluding Captain DeMont Howell did not learn of the accident and return until they were overtaken over over- taken near Springville |