Author Archives: Fred Caruso

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About Fred Caruso

Survivor of the crash of Flying Tiger 923. at night, at sea, 500 miles off the west coast of Ireland, with 28 deaths and 48 survivors, September 23, 1962.

A look at the web site record

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Fred Caruso

As this Flying Tiger 923 Memorial Web Site meets the end of three full years of public posting of 106 stories, we take pride in the fact that we have enjoyed some 61,000 public views world-wide. Of course, the majority … Continue reading →

Posted in MEMORIALS, Other Gems, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Peter Foley tells the world of the demise of Flying Tiger 923

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Fred Caruso

By Teresa Foley At the time of the Flying Tiger ditching in the North Atlantic, Peter Foley was in the Air Force and had reached the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. He was assigned to the Stars and Stripes and … Continue reading →

Posted in passengers | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Trooper survivor memorializes Flying Tiger 923 in leather

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Fred Caruso

Paul Stewart of Fisco, Texas surprised three of his fellow survivors with beautiful mementos of Flying Tiger 923. They were in the form of round table coasters etched in leather. The lucky recipients were former paratrooper Gordon Thornsberry of Russellville, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Life raft story stirs reader responses

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Fred Caruso

We were told repeatedly during the preparation drills, “The life rafts stored in both wings will eject and inflate automatically on impact..” If that were so, what happened to them?   *     *     *     … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Where did all of the life rafts go? There were supposed to be five. Right?

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Fred Caruso

After nearly three years of research and reporting, this writer has pretty well described what happened and who was involved in the incident in addition to passengers and crew. In the process of all of this research, questions were raised … Continue reading →

Posted in flight crew, new combat troopers, passengers, rescue teams | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Those on board Flying Tiger 923 on the night of September 23, 1962

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Fred Caruso

Few details were available on survivors and deceased during the first days following the crash of Flying Tiger 923. One of the first stories was from the New York Times.  That story consisted of a list of those on the … Continue reading →

Posted in flight crew, new combat troopers, passengers | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Hawiiaan mother and two children lost in raging sea

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Fred Caruso

“I saw a child being thrown out a window by a man after the plane hit the Atlantic. The child was never seen again. The other child also vanished.” Rachael K. Hoopii, 32, of Waimanolo, Hawaii was on her way with two … Continue reading →

Posted in passengers | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Crew members to be remembered

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Fred Caruso

Most of the information contained within this posting is obtained from the Civil Aeronautics Board report of September 10, 1963. Robert Parker, Port Washington, Long Island, New York First Officer Robert W. Parker, age 27, had a total of 2,430 … Continue reading →

Posted in flight crew | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Survivor says little about the harrowing experience

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Fred Caruso

“It has been almost 52 years since the plane ditched in the North Atlantic and you (the FT923 site editor) are the first one I have talked to about that night since I left Germany and the men that shared … Continue reading →

Posted in new combat troopers | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Epilogue to mother’s scrap book by Gordon Thornsberry

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Fred Caruso

Epilogue On Sunday, September 23, my mother cooked lunch for a large group of relatives. After lunch, the men were watching a football game when a news bulletin came across the television. A plane crashed in the North Atlantic ocean … Continue reading →

Posted in new combat troopers | 1 Comment