On August 17, 1943, a B-17F bomber from Kearney, Nebraska, Army Air Field crashed 300 yards south during a routine training flight before going overseas, killing all aboard: 2nd Lt. Sylvester J. Diebold of Benton, Missouri; 2nd Lt. Ernest H. Endemano of Los Angeles, California; 2nd Lt. John F. Hickey of Port Henry, New York; SSgt Jimmie McEntire of Wharton, Texas; SSgt Albert Pivkul of West Warren, Massachusetts; Sgt. Cyril B. Butler of Crooksville, Ohio; Sgt. James V. Pollicita of Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Sgt. Frank E. Sampler of College Park, Georgia.