Category Archives: passengers

those persons on the aircraft not considered crew

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Posted on June 1, 2014 by Fred Caruso

RE Post: About this site. By Ken Skelton Two survivors, Frank Ruffalo and Sam Vasquez, reunited at my home in Arizona today (May 11). Would you like a photo of them? [Editor’s Note: “Yes, certainly!”] *     *   … Continue reading →

Posted in flight crew, new combat troopers, passengers | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Robert Eldred: “The hand of God was at the controls of the plane.”

Posted on March 23, 2014 by Fred Caruso

Retired Army Captain Robert C. Eldred was one of the 17 survivors evacuated from the Swiss rescue ship Celerina by RAF Helicopter. He was interviewed on the tarmac of the new Cork Airport as rescue teams transported the injured to … Continue reading →

Posted in passengers, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Richard M. Miskimen: Airman’s wife tells of tragic loss

Posted on February 16, 2014 by Fred Caruso

At the time of the ditching of Flying Tiger 923, September 23, 1962, Dorothy Neisen was married to Air Force Staff Sgt. Richard McMunn Miskimen. She and Richard were living in Zemmer, Germany near Spangdahlem AFB with their only child, … Continue reading →

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Ernest Wilson: Recounts injuries and cold ocean drama.

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Fred Caruso

At age 37 and a World War II veteran, Master Sgt. Ernest L. Wilson of New Orleans, was on his way to a new two-year assignment to an M.P. Station near Frankfort, Germany. That trip ended abruptly when the aircraft … Continue reading →

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FLASH BACKS on the demise of Flying Tiger 923!

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Fred Caruso

Fifty years after the crash of Flying Tiger 923, it is astonishing to see how little was known by the survivors of the event that very nearly took their lives. No one had an opportunity to see all of the … Continue reading →

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

Antwerp is “land at last” for remaining survivors

Posted on August 22, 2013 by Fred Caruso

Disembarking from the Swiss freighter and rescue ship MS Celerina and touching dry land at Antwerp, Belgium for the first time in five days were the remaining survivors of the ditching of Flying Tiger Line Flight 923. Shown above at … Continue reading →

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Peter Foley: A survivor, adventurer, a dedicated family man.

Posted on July 5, 2013 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 →

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Georg Stockli: Ship radio operator adds new insight to rescue

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Fred Caruso

M/S Celerina rescues 48 survivors of airplane catastrophe “SOS from Valentia radio = following from Shannon Airport . . . at 2220 GMT the Super Constellation Flying Tiger N6923C began with preparations for ditching at 54 North 24 West at … Continue reading →

Posted in flight crew, Other Gems, passengers, rescue teams, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Willie Smith: Tells story that makes “Old Soldier” proud

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Fred Caruso

News reporters were gathered on the tarmac of the new Cork Airport, each one of them wanting to snatch a survivor for an interview before medical personnel could get to them. Two Royal Air Force helicopters were alternately landing with … Continue reading →

Posted in new combat troopers, passengers | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Alfred Bodung: First Sergeant tells a dramatic story . . .

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Fred Caruso

Sergeant First Class Alfred Bodung was one of the 17 survivors airlifted to Cork hospitals by helicopter from the Celerina off Galley Head point. The Cork Examiner reported his story: “Sergeant First Class Alfred Bodung, 35, married, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, who … Continue reading →

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