Site devoted to creation of a National Memorial honoring victims of a top-secret 1955 plane crash near Las Vegas and honoring Cold War Heroes in general.
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Welcome to the Silent Heroes of the Cold War National Memorial web site.
On November 17, 1955 at 7:25 a.m., a USAF Military Air Transport Service aircraft took off from Burbank, CA with an air force crew, engineers, CIA personnel and scientists bound for Watertown, now known as Area 51. At 8:40 a.m. the aircraft was first reported missing. The full story of the fourteen men aboard and the U2 reconnaissance plane they helped build remained classified for over 40 years. Also classified as top-secret was the account of the men who risked their lives while they braved subzero temperatures at 11,500 feet elevation to attempt a rescue on Mount Charleston. Now, over four decades later, the time has come to tell one of the most intriguing stories of the Cold War. We honor these men and the hundreds of individuals who have worked in obscurity during the Cold War, many of whom have paid for our freedom with their very lives.
USAF 9068 - Photograph is of a C54 aircraft. This photograph has been altered to reflect with historical accuracy what USAF 9068 would have looked like the morning of November 17, 1955.
Silent Heroes of the Cold War Declassified
THE FULL STORY - Author Ky Plaskon goes in depth to tell the story of the1955 “top-secret” plane crash on Mt. Charleston in Southern Nevada. Gleaned from recently declassified documents and top-secret reports, Ky explores the tragic accident and the unavoidable aftermath. Silent Heroes of the Cold War Declassified contains never before seen photographs of the crash site and relates the heartfelt stories of the families whose lives changed in an instant on a cold winter morning in 1955.
Scroll down to the "Order Book" page to purchase copies of Silent Heroes of the Cold War Declassified.
Scroll down to the "EVENTS" page to access informaition about upcoming book signings and events.
Stephens Press -copyright 2008
Scroll down to the "EVENTS" page to learn more about the fundraising tour of the NEVADA TEST SITE.
To learn more about the effort to create a National Memorial to the Cold War click on the following pages:
HISTORY OF THE MEMORIAL Part I THE SEARCH FOR LIVING RELATIVES Part II RECOVERY OPERATIONS Part III RECONSTRUCTING THE ACCIDENT Part IV NATIONAL MEMORIAL Part V
"The cold war was the longest war in United States history. Because of the nuclear capabilities of our enemy it was the most dangerous conflict our country ever faced. Those that won this war did so in obscurity. Those that gave their lives in the cold war have never been properly honored."
Senator Harry Reid
Contact Information
Silent Heroes of the Cold War National Memorial Committee 9425 Deer Lodge Lane Las Vegas, Nevada 89129
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