On the morning of March 23, 1950, an Air Force B-50 bomber on a routine training mission exploded and crashed north of the communities of Dateland and Hyder, Arizona. Two of the 14 crewmen on board, Capt. John H. Lee and 1st. Lt. William T. Gentry, escaped the disintegrating aircraft and parachuted to safety, while the 12 remaining crew members perished in the crash. The dead were Lt. Col. Harold E. Mignola, Tech Sgt. Cecil B. Horton, Capt. Robert H. Stephenson, Tech Sgt. Lewis E. Womble, Capt. Fred B. Smith, Staff Sgt. Raymond D. Darby, 1st. Lt. Newell G. Shepherd, Cpl. Melvin E. Gelino, Sgt. William E. Stovall, Cpl. James I. Jones, of the 43rd Bomb Wing, 65th Bomb Squadron, and the crew of the Long Ranger made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.