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PAGE 18 - PLUNDKAIJSR • WEDNESDAY TRAGEDY LEAVES COMMUNITY IN SHOCK (Continued from page 1) sock to the house son^time Saturday. Although she did not go to the end of Stewart road, a distance of about two miles, there were reports that one of the victims was found there. She did see chunks of green metal from the plane and pieces of upholstering. Reports were received that debris was spread from the Hebron area to as far north as four miles into Walworth county, Wis. It was noted that volunteer firefighters from the Wonder Lake Fire department were on duty for 14 hours during the tragic incident. The men, who were among the first to respond to the scene, struggled to free a fire truck that had become mired in the swampy land The men also took part in , the search for crash victims and assisted National Guardsmen. Contrary to a number of reports, the Science fair at Greenwood school had been over for nearly an hour before the jet crashed. AIR CRASH INVESTIGATION CONTINUES (Continued from page 1) Davis said. "We grabbed flashlights and found nothing. The police and military brought floodlights and lifted and pried at the cockpit and found the bodies the next morning." She was surprised there was no crater and said it was "very fortunate" none of the falling plane injured people on the ground. The incident did not alter Davis' love of flying. "We're all pilots, my husband, son, father, mother-in-law, and me. I still feel flying is safer than driving," she said. Lt. Larry Fortin, who coordinates the sheriff's mounted posse, said about 14 volunteers arrived with their horses and organized into two groups. "We were given assigned areas t<^ search for bodies and cataloged pieces of the plane and other debris," Fortin said. He said the area assigned to the horse-mounted posse was too muddy, even for four-wheel drive vehicles. "The horses were knee-deep in mud ... it was tiring for them," he said. Fortin reiterated what Shay said. "Practice does pay off when you need to work on a real disaster." The mounted posse practices for emergencies about six times a year. Special Deputy Robert Schell, of Wonder Lake, said the sheriff's snowmobile patrol was out with machines all day Saturday helping in the search. They removed six bodies from the plane's fuselage and two from a swamp near Wondermere road. The work isn't over. Crews still are searching for parts from the aircraft , MARCH 24,1982 and the coroner's office still is working on autopsies. Querhammer said bodies will not be released to funeral homes and families "until Thursday at the earliest." MUSIN' AND MEANDERIN' (Continued from page 1) been contacted by the caller? Seldom. The statement is just not entirely true, and although it was only boastful, or otherwise innocuous, it has angered the 'other side'. The caller may belong to that little world of people who otherwise pay little attention to the newspaper. He may tell his friends what its writers say aren't important and 'nobody reads it anyway' - but let there be something to his dissatisfaction and that's another story. There are too many Public Pulse letters on one side - why didn't we print the other side? someone on the other side made an untrue statement; where are all the people who should have talked against the issue? As sure as anything, we'll find 'all the people' out there among the voters, and what experience has taught us is that those who choose not to talk publicly ahead of time always make their ap­ pearance at the polls. They're the very people who, in their quiet way, very often win at the polls. KAF Union Man Cited After Plane Crash Shaw Media News Service A Union man has been cited by sheriff's police on four charges con­ nected with Friday's plane crash in Greenwood. Richard J. Swanson, 17603 Sunnyview Drive, has been charged with looting, obstruction of justice, theft and criminal damage to property. Police report Swanson allegedly searched through a duffel bag con­ taining the personal property of a victim, Haunani A. Holt, and then burned the bag, causing destruction of physical evidence. v Swanson, 52, is free on bond for a hearing in 19th Judicial Circuit court. Promotion In Reserves The 2290th United States Army Reserve hospital has announced the recent promotion of John F. Schlesser to second lieutenant. Schlesser serves this unit as a medical services officer working at Walter Reed, Army Medical center in Washington, D.C. Originally from McHenry, Schlesser is presently a student at Georgetown Medical school in Washington, D C. Statistics Of A Crash WHAT The KC-135A is a modified Boeing 707 tanker transport jet designed for refueling in-flight aircraft. The fuselage of the aircraft measures 145 feet by 12 feet, with a wing span of 145 feet. The plane has a range of 4,000 miles when carrying a full load (140,000 pounds) oi fuel for other aircraft. The jet was enroute from Michigan and carrying an estimated 38,000 pounds of fuel at the time of the crash. WHEN The Federal Aviation Administration has placed the time of the crash at 9:11 p.m. Friday, when witnesses said they heard a deafening explosion and saw a fireball in the sky. The blip of the jet on the radar screen reportedly was lost at 13,700 feet, just as the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora was transferring control of the flight to the control tower at O'Hare International Airport, where the plane was headed. WHERE of The jet apparently exploded in midair over the unincorporated area Greenwood, northeast of Woodstock. Wreckage and bodies of victims in the aircraft were strewn for an area of approximately three square miles. Some parts of the debris narrowly missed Greenwood School, where 400 people were gathered earlier for a science fair, and several homes in the area. WHO All 27 people aboard the jet, including four crewmen, were killed in the disaster. The crewmen were members of 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Air National Guard, headquartered at O'Hare, and the 23 passengers were Air Force Reserve personnel assigned to the 928th Tactical Airlift Group at O'Hare. _ The crew included the co-pilot, Capt. Robert J. Nicosia, 33, of Algonquin. No one on the ground was injured. WHY A team of Air Force of investigators today is continuing its investigation into the cause of the midair explosion and crash, which is the worst air disaster in McHenry County history. There has been some speculation that lightning struck the aircraft and that the accident was weather-related. However, while some turbulence, clouds and precipitation were reported at the time of the accident, the U.S. Weather Service at Marseilles reported no unusual activity at that time. MCC CATALOG OUTLET STORE MCC CATALOG OUTLET STORE MCC MERCHANDISE CLEARANCE CENTER 301 W. Virginia Street CRYSTAL LAKE 815-455-0333 Mon.-Tues. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed., Thurs., Fri., 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Suq- 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Use Cash. MC, Visa or our own Check Purchasing Card1 Sale Dates Wed., March 24 thru Tues., March 30 --While Quantities Last- Have you visited our other store at 476 Liberty, Wauconda? STOREWIDE SALE In anticipation of our yearly inventory, we are once again having our famous storewide sale. Warehouse overstocks have filled our store with -» • • many bargains. Every department reduced! <r ̂ •HOUSEWARES •GIFTWARE •FURNITURE ITEMS •CLOTHING % OFF nun rfr OUR REG. STORE PRICE •TOYS •VACUUMS •ELECTRONICS •WATCHES •COOKWARE •BEDDING •RUGS •LUGGAGE BONUS SPECIAL CHILDRENS' CLOTHING 50 %2TF Price i V^A/^AA^iM -AAAA CRYSTAL LAKE MCC COUPON FELT WESTERN HAT $7" EACH REG. PRICE *20 ONE PER COUPON-MARCH 24 thru 301 CRYSTAL LAKE MCC COUPON VICTORIAN DOLL HOUSE WITH FURNITURE KIT t *10" SET REG. PRICE $26M 11 SET PER COUPON-MAR. 24 thru 30 0 w w w f f f y f f f f f f w v v v vvvvvvvv CRYSTAL LAKE MCC COUPON SET OF 4 DECORATOR CUBES FOR CHILD'S ROOM $399 SET REG. PRICE $11 1 SET PER COUPON--MAR. 24 thru 30 CRYSTAL LAKE MCC COUPON 1/2 Gal. FAB-SOFTNER 3 FOR REG. PRICE $1.09 EACH 3 PER COUPON-MARCH 24 thru 30 LOOKING FOR VICTIMS--A member of the county sheriff's posse rides slowly northward on Greenwood road in the early hours of Saturday morning, searching for victims of Friday night's plane crash. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD Friend Mourns Death Of Co-Pilot by Joanne Springman SHAW MEDIA NEWS SERVICE Capt. Warren Dalton could hardly contain his grief Monday morning as he spoke of his friend and fellow officer, Capt. Robert J. Nicosia, 33, of Algonquin, co-pilot of the jet which crashed Friday night in Greenwood. "He was just the nicest guy," Dalton said, struggling for control of his overwhelming emotion. "He would do anything for anybody." Dalton was so overcome with grief that he was barely capable of con­ versation, but he managed to relate some details about his longtime friend and fellow airman. "He was one of the best pilots I ever knew," Dalton said Monday. "He was very knowledgeable about aircraft systems and performance, and he put a lot of effort into his job." Dalton said he first became acquainted with Nicosia back in the 1970s when they both were in active service at Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Columbus, Ohio. The Air Force comrades continued their friendship over several years of active service and beyond, through the time when Nicosia joined Dalton at the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard. Before Nicosia joined the unit headquartered at O'Hare International Airport, Dalton said Nicosia served as a flight engineer with American Airlines before being furloughed from the company. Nicosia then took a post as an engineer with a firm on Chicago's west side which he held while serving with the Air National Guard. Dalton said Nicosia was an ex­ perienced flier on the kind of jet which he co-piloted on the last night of his life. Dalton said Nicosia had flown KC-135A aircraft both in active service and while on duty with the Air National Guard. Dalton also said Nicosia was a pilot instructor and qualified to evaluate other pilots of the aircraft. "He had about 2,600 hours of flying time," Dalton choked. "He was very experienced and very competent." Finally, the dam of Dalton's grief broke as he spoke of the disaster which claimed his friend's life. There was a long pause as he was reminded of the fiery explosion 13,000 feet over the unsuspecting village of Greenwood. Even on the telephone, his helplessness was almost tangible, the kind of feeling men have when fate thwarts their best and bravest efforts. "I don't know of anyone who could've handled it (an emergency) better," Dalton said slowly, his words barely audible. "It's hard to say how I feel ... I'm totally upset... we're all totally upset... my wife and I are going to be with his family as soon as possible ...." Dalton said he and his wife were close friends of Nicosia's widow, Donna. The Daltons' two children also are close in age to the Nicosias' daughter Kim- berly, 6, and son Brian, 3. But sadly, as the Air Force in­ vestigation into the crash continues today, friends like Dalton gather around Nicosia's family to await their comrade for the last time. Aids In Crash Investigation By Jack McCarthy SHAW MEDIA NEWS SEtVICE For Lt. Col. Ed Haerter, Friday's crash of a KC-135A Air National Guard refueling plane was both a professional and personal loss. Haerter, a rural Harvard resident who commands the 108th Air Refueling Squadron -- a subgroup within the 126th Air Refueling Wing -- is helping with the grim investigation into the tragedy. He spoke about the refueling wing's role in an exclusive interview conducted last week Tuesday, just three days before the fatal crash. He was unavailable for comment Monday. The O'Hare-based Air National Guardsmen, are considered among the most experienced flyers associated with he military, he said last week. Members have logged far more cumulative flight time than active military flyers. Haerter, for example, is a Guard flight instructor along with his ad­ ministrative duties, but eight years flying fighter aircraft on active duty in Europe and Southeast Asia. In Vietnam he flew more than 200 combat missions and received numerous decorations. "We do maybe 25 percent of the overall (military) flying," he said last week. "We fly at least as much or more than active duty (personnel)." TheKC-135As (modified Boeing 707s) travel throughout the nation on aerial refueling missions for B-52 bombers and C-5 fighter planes. On occasion, the O'Hare-based personnel has been to Guam, Okinawa and Australia. The Air National Guard is "totally integrated" into the nation's defense system. It's not only a vital military link, but is also less expensive for the Pentagon to finance. "The only way they can give us the airplanes is if we fill in," he said. "It's (also) easier and more economical for aerial refueling than to let the planes land. It's a tremendous bargain for the taxpayer," Haerter said. National Guard operations cost only one-fourth of what active units do since the Guard has only part-time per­ sonnel. "We have almost all total (former) service people," he said. "The Air National Guard has never had a problem recruiting. We can't even enlist anybody. We're right up to total force." The National Guard unit follows the same standards as active military personnel do and "always does real well" in Strategic Air Command in­ spections. "It's an excellent group of people," Haerter said. "They're very professional and some of the best friends I have." The 45-year-old Air Force veteran said last week that he was planning to fly on a training mission late in the week. He was scheduled to return to Harvard on Friday. An Air National Guard spokeswoman said she did not know if Haerter originally was scheduled to be on the fatal flight. Haerter is assisting in the in­ vestigation, most likely acting as a technical advisor on operations, ac­ cording to the spokeswoman. FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT ^ S 7518 Honcock Dr., Wonder Lake =DINNER SPECIALS Served 12 Noon until 10PM SUN. CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN (All You Can Eat) $*75 ---- W/French Fries, soup, salad, and French Bread Child's Portion: 2 pes. Chicken, French Fries, French Bread . ̂ 1 ® TUES. SPAGHETTI (All You Can Eat) $«50 W/Zesty meat sauce, soup and garlic bread Child's Portion (Under 10) spaghetti w/garlic bread $ | BREADED SHRIMP (21 Pieces) $*95 French Fries, soup or salad, French Bread J® THURS. LASABNA (Homemade and Delicious) $*95 Soup or salad and garlic bread w FRI. FISH FRY (All You Can Eat) $*95 Fried Perch, French Fries, Slaw, Soup and French Bread SAT. SAVORY BAR-B-Q BEEF RIBS AND BAR-B-Q CHICKEN French Fries, Soup, Salad and French Bread $j|95 (All You Can Eat) CIAVANNI'S BREAKFAST SPECIALS (Tues . Sat ) WORKERS SPECIAL •2 eggs •Hash Browns •Toast* •Coffee $|50 SERVED 7am-11am THE DHECE IS WILD (FOR THE HEARTY EATER) Two eggs, two-bacon, two sausage two hot cakes, coffee n m* 4* $050 CLOSED ~ 2 MONDAY. MCC CATALOG OUTLET STORE MCC CATALOG OUTLET STORE