Fort Campbell officials introduced a Gander Memorial expansion plan, Friday, to Families and veterans in town for the 30th anniversary of the crash that claimed the lives of 248 Soldiers and eight crewmembers, Dec. 12, 1985.
These plans come after months of coordination between Fort Campbell’s Directorate of Public Works, garrison leadership, 2nd Brigade Combat Team Soldiers, 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell Commander Maj. Gen. Gary J. Volesky and Gander Families.
The Arrow Air plane carrying Soldiers assigned or attached to 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, stopped to refuel at Gander, Newfoundland, in transit to Fort Campbell after a six-month peacekeeping mission to Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. The Douglas DC-8 charter flight crashed upon takeoff, leaving no survivors.
Memorial beginnings
In the wake of the tragic air disaster, 15-year-old Canadian teenager Janice Johnston (now Nikkel) wanted to do something to honor the brave Screaming Eagle Soldiers who never made it back home for the Christmas holiday.
“I wrote a letter to our big Toronto Star newspaper and said I would like to donate my babysitting money … to [buy trees] to plant as a living memorial to these Soldiers who died in our country,” Nikkel said, in a 2010 interview with the Courier.
Her original $20 donation sparked an international show of support that resulted in the planting of 256 Canadian Sugar Maple trees to honor the Gander crash victims. The trees were dedicated less than a year after the initial tragedy, Sept. 20, 1986. Situated on a 4-acre plot near Screaming Eagle and Normandy boulevards, the tree grove and accompanying Gander memorial monument serve as a fitting tribute to the fallen Soldiers.
Traditionally, 2nd Brigade Combat Team hosts the annual memorial ceremony at this site each year. At the base of each tree is a small marker honoring one of the fallen.
“The trees are a very important part to the Families,” said Maj. Ireka Sanders, 2nd BCT public affairs officer. “I think Ms. Nikkel’s intent was to do a living memorial; leave a living legacy. For the Soldiers in the unit, for us, we’re the living legacy.”
Preserving the grove
Unfortunately, the grove is now in danger, which in turn, means the memorial itself is now at risk. The original trees were planted in a 20-by-20-foot grid pattern, which does not allow for ample root and crown growth. The plants’ root systems are already intertwining, and overcrowding puts the future health of the growth in jeopardy. Fort Campbell foresters estimate the grove will reach a critical state within the next five to 10 years. Installation officials noted this problem last year and immediately began working on solutions, Directorate of Public Works Director Jim Duttweiler said.
“They’re competing for sun. They’re competing for nutrients out of the soil,” Duttweiler said. “Sooner than later, we’re going to need to do something.”
Tentative plans call for increasing the spacing between trees to 40-by-40-feet, which will require the memorial’s total acreage to expand north to an area adjacent to the existing memorial park. The proposed area is currently a motor pool. While the expansion will provide the adequate space for trees to flourish on a 13-acre plot, it could require at least some of the current trees to be removed. There is no way to relocate these trees successfully, Duttweiler explained, due to the overlapping root systems.
“We know that we’re going to have to reduce the number of trees that are in the current site,” Duttweiler said. “We’ve made no decisions on how to do that. We’re going to look for input on how to do that and what to do with any trees that are removed.” Community Planner Christopher Brown, who works in Fort Campbell’s Master Plans Division, helped in the expansion site selection process. When consultants came to Fort Campbell on a routine visit to evaluate the planning of a redeveloped Town Center area, Brown said they helped create the initial concept sketch for the Gander Memorial expansion.
Family members’ suggestions were also considered in the initial design, including Gold Star Family parking, benches and improved Soldier markers. The expansion would make the grove a centerpiece of what will become Memorial Row at Fort Campbell.
“Even though 13 acres sounds like a lot, that’s a lot of trees and again, you want to do it the right way,” Brown said. “Their sketch did that. It also gave us some ideas as far as things to improve that are not there right now. As far as walkways, as far as trying to identify some designated parking for that area out there. We look at it as an opportunity to improve on that site and make it something that hopefully the Families are going to be proud of and an area that can sustain for the long term.”
While 13 trees were damaged and replaced after 2011 storms, Brown estimates the mature trees in the grove range from 40 to 50 feet tall. Healthy Sugar Maples can reach heights of more than 100 feet.
Brown said DPW officials worked with 2nd BCT to introduce a small group of Family members to the proposed expansion in order to get feedback in advance of the 30th anniversary. So far, the response has been positive.
“There are folks that are definitely concerned about the trees and how they’re going to be handled,” he said. “That’s something that we’re going to have to … address.”
Amy Gallo, widow of Staff Sgt. Richard S. Nichols, is one of the Family members who remained in the Clarksville area after the crash. A member of the Gander 30th anniversary planning committee, she helped arrange the weekend’s events. She supports Fort Campbell’s expansion plans.
“It’s OK, because I don’t think that these widows can take watching these trees die,” she said. “For me it would be like Rick dying all over again.”
While Gallo is remarried and spends her time giving back to the local community, the crash is still a major part of her life. She keeps in contact with many other widows, which is now much easier than in the past thanks to social media, and she recognizes the value of a special place to connect with the man she lost too soon.
“This is not just about us,” she said. “Rick is buried at Fort Donelson and I go there for his birthday and holidays. But when I just need to talk to him, I go to the grove.”
Nikkel came to the 30th anniversary ceremony this weekend, where she learned about the expansion plans. In an emailed statement to the Courier, Nikkel shared her thoughts on Fort Campbell’s plan to preserve the Gander Memorial trees.
“I am so grateful for the committee [members] who are helping to ensure these trees are cared for and that the memory of these Soldiers lives on,” she wrote. “I think the idea to create a memorial park is a beautiful way to enhance the beauty and the viability of the trees on the Fort Campbell base for years to come. As we wrote on the memorial plaque back when I was just a teen, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers.’”
Feedback requested
An information sharing meeting will be open to Gander Memorial stakeholders – including surviving Family members – in early 2016. Post officials welcome any comments or suggestions as the project takes shape. Nothing is set in stone, and Duttweiler said DPW must conduct a survey and other preliminary work before the expansion begins. DPW officials estimate the beginning of the project is at least three years out, with completion not expected until at least five to seven years from now.
“Beyond the area that we’ve identified as the best case at this point for expansion, how it looks and how we do that expansion – none of those decisions have been made,” Duttweiler said.
Family members, veterans and community members who attended Strike’s Open House Friday had the opportunity to view the initial site concepts, watch a video outlining plans for the future of the Gander Memorial and pick up informational brochures and comment cards.
“Our main concern is to have a quality, long-lasting memorial that honors the sacrifice that the Soldiers made,” Duttweiler said. “We want this to be a great memorial for years to come. We welcome all ideas as to how we can do that.”
“It’s not just our veterans. It’s everyone who had a piece in it that this impacted their lives and their career.”
As the anniversary draws near, the Gander crash still looms large at Fort Campbell. The legacy of the “Strike and Kill” Battalion is held dear and passed along to every 2nd BCT Soldier, Sanders said.
“Their history is still embedded in what the unit does today,” she said.
“They’re aware that these Soldiers [were] on a peacekeeping mission and peacekeeping missions are not something that’s normal for Soldiers, but it’s definitely something that’s in the heart of every Soldier.”