Thirty-two years ago, the 101st Airborne Division suffered its largest loss of life from a single event in its history. On Dec. 12, 1985, 248 Soldiers and eight crewmembers died when the plane they were aboard, Arrow Air Flight 1285, crashed at Gander International Airport in Gander, Newfoundland.
The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from a refueling stop as the Soldiers, assigned or attached to Task Force 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., were returning home from a six-month peacekeeping mission as part of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt.
“It was the worst peacetime aeronautic disaster in the history of the Army,” said Col. Brett G. Sylvia, 101st Abn. Div. chief of staff. “Its impact reverberated from Canada to Campbell.”
In the wake of this tragedy, Gander, Fort Campbell and Hopkinsville erected memorials and hold annual ceremonies in honor of the lives lost and the sacrifices made by their Families.
Soldiers, Families and civilians gathered early Tuesday for Fort Campbell’s Gander memorial ceremony at the Task Force 3-502nd Inf. Regt. Memorial Tree Park where a grove of 256 Canadian sugar maple trees stand to serve as symbols of life and rebirth. “This memorial here, and this day each year is not only to remember the love for those lost, but to be able to rejoice in the inspiration we gain here in this sacred ceremony,” Sylvia said. “The inspiration we gain in seeing the power and resilience of the human spirit, the inspiration we gain as we remember the happiness and peace those Soldiers brought to the world, and, most importantly, the inspiration we gain in how a time of sorrow greatly unified us as Soldiers, Families, towns and nations.”
That unity was evident as Families of the fallen Soldiers, public officials, members of Fort Campbell, and the surrounding communities gathered together to support both the installation’s annual ceremony and the annual Hopkinsville ceremony that followed later the same day.
Sylvia also was the guest speaker at the Hopkinsville event that was held at the Fort Campbell Memorial Park, a 16-acre park located just off the Pennyrile Parkway. There, he shared similar sentiments and spoke to the strength and unity of the Families and the local community.
“The tragedy of losing your loved one, a Soldier, outside of war, and, when they are just outside arm’s reach is unfathomable. The strength required and shown by those Families, in those times, is awe-inspiring,” Sylvia said. “It is remarkable to see the Hopkinsville community wrap its arms around our service members and their Families, not only in the wake of this tragedy, but for the last 32 years.”
He went on to say that while the entire nation viewed the wreckage of this catastrophe on the news, they also witnessed the Fort Campbell and Hopkinsville communities’ strength and support for one another.
“The sun will set on this day, but this monument will stand tall, just as it has for three decades, as a reminder of strength,” Sylvia said. “It will tell the story of the fallen to the casual American traveler, and serve as a reminder of the rivers of strength in our community.”