The Tribune

By KYLE WALKINE

Tribune Staff Reporter

kwalkine@tribunemedia.net

US officials yesterday remembered the lives of ten United States crew members who lost their lives in a training mission off the coast of Nassau on May 7, 1954.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the deaths of the members of Patrol Squad 23. US officials commemorated the event by placing a wreath on the water where the wreckage was found, near Clifton Pier. A monument was erected at Clifton Pier in late 1954 to honour the servicemen.

US Charge d’Affaires John Dinkelman, Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes, Deputy Commanding for the US Army North Major General Walter Roy and Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis were a few of the dignitaries who joined family members to remember the fallen officers.  

This year, the US Embassy also remembered Bahamian Private Class Norman Darling, 29, who was killed in Iraq in 2004 and Sergeant Errol McKinney, 33, a Bahamian who was killed in 2013 during a motorcycle accident shortly after returning from war in Afghanistan. 

“We salute the commitment and the sacrifices of the diverse contingent of the servicemen and women of the United States armed forces, including those Bahamians counted among their ranks,” Mr Dinkleman said. 

“The reason our nations endure is the bravery and sacrifice of men such as these. All those honoured by us here today are part of a long and proud tradition of service that extends back centuries. From Bunker Hill to Afghanistan, brave men and women in uniform have stepped forward and answered the call, knowing they may never return to their loved ones.”

The fallen servicemen were also honoured with a 21-gun salute from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. 

Sir Arthur said throughout the world many brave men and women have risked their lives on battlefields to protect their country, its allies and its interests.

“We have all been moved by their sacrifice and we share in the pain and in the loss which their families and friends continue to bear because of their sacrifice,” Sir Arthur said. “We are proud to recognise and pay tribute to them in this memorial service today. I am certain that all would agree that it is fitting that this day is set aside to recognise and pay homage to them for their invaluable contribution and their ultimate sacrifice.”

Mrs Gloria Wildes, the widow of MA-5 Plane Captain ADC John Holle, told the audience that the monument was built out of money from cheques the ten men had just cashed and planned to spend in Nassau upon arrival. 

However, after their untimely death, their money was collected, placed in a canteen and collected together with donations to build the monument that was placed there nine months later. 

Yesterday, the United States observed the Memorial Day holiday, a day set aside to reflect on the lives of those who died protecting and defending their country.