Flying Tiger 923

by Fred Caruso (aka Irish O’Caruso)

September 23, 2012 marked the 50^th anniversary of the crash of Flying Tiger Flight 923, when the Army-chartered aircraft was forced to ditch in the North Atlantic in the dark of night during a raging storm some 500 miles off the west coast of Ireland. Seventy-six passengers and crew were on board. Twenty-eight died and 48 were rescued.

After the initial flurry of Irish and English media reports of the crash and rescue, and after sporadic hometown obituaries and a few stories of those who miraculously survived, world-wide attention shifted to other serious international issues, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and continued threats of rekindling the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Virtually no information emanated from the US Army after the crash of the plane full of fresh combat paratroopers and military families on their way to bases at or near Frankfurt, Germany or on official holiday leave. The incident simply sank with the Super Constellation into historical darkness.

There was no reunion and no public memorial anywhere. Survivors and their families and those left behind were on their own to find out what they could from the very little that was made public. Husbands lost wives and wives lost husbands. Children were left fatherless. A mother and her two children were taken in one crash of the waves. Telegrams were written and delivered. A brief official report was submitted. Memories faded.     Continue reading →