Clifford Eugene Phillips

Buster

On September 18, 1944, Clifford Eugene Phillips “Buster” was on his way home for leave when his plane crashed into Mt. Deception Alaska.

A rescue party of 44 brave volunteers set out to locate the wreckage and recover those on board the downed C47 aircraft.

The climb was steep and difficult with the slope at 45 degrees in some places.

Basin 2 camp.

When the search and rescue team found the wreckage it was just piles of metal. The rescue team searched for three days to recover the bodies and only found a few personal effects. None of the remains of the nineteen men aboard the downed C-47 were recovered. The rescue mission lasted 48 days.

Part of the wreckage buried in snow.

Digging for the C-47

Part of the fuselage.

Aircraft’s tail.

Rescue team going home.

44 Brave Volunteers

Grant Pearson, the chief ranger for Mt. McKinley National Park

Brad Washburn, director of the Boston Museum of Science

Captain Americo R. Peracca, Corps of Engineers and 11th Air Force Land Rescue expert headed the expedition

Major John G. Hill, expedition organizer.

James A. Ford, mountain climbing expert from the Office of the Quartermaster General in Washington, DC joined the party as a technical advisor

Sgt. John M. Greany, Signal Service Corps, became the expedition photographer.

Base HQ and Air Base Squadron:

Lt. Allen M. Dillman

S/Sgt. Donald R. Groll

Sgt. James E. Gale

Sgt. Karl M. Ivanoff

Cpl. Eugene Tetinek

Cpl. Eugene V. Hawkins

PFC William E. Cook

PFC Michael V. Foley

PFC Richard D. Huff

PFC William R. Harvey

Pvt. Elmo G. Fenn

Pvt. Donald E. Riley

Pvt. Stanley J. Huhndorf

Pvt. Andrew A. Wholecheese

Pvt. Howard Wilson

Pvt. David J. Yatlin

Infantry: S/Sgt. Richard O. Manuell

Sgt. Michael A. Hanson

Sgt. Jack J. Van Zanten

PFC Samuel Kakik

PFC Tommy Goodwin

PFC Jack N. Yokel

Engineers:

PFC Van H. Ballantyne Pvt. John F. Morrison

Hq. Co. AD: T/4 Woodrow W. Page

T/4 Charles J. Perricone

Cpl. Raymond Conrad

Cpl. Joseph C. Rosenauer

T/5 Jacob A. Stalker

T/5 Fuller S. Thompson

T/5 Aden E. Winkelman

Pvt. Ivar Skarland  

Hospital:

Capt. George W. Morris Pvt. Wallace W. Atkinson

AACS:S/Sgt. Harry O. Kruvand

 Weather Squadron:

S/Sgt Harry P. Pierce Cpl. Howard Hoffman

 Base Medical Detachment:T/5 James C. Larsen

 

 

Rescue Boat Squadron:Pvt. Joseph Britch

 

Remaining Volunteers

T/Sgt. Richard D. Nierstheimer Pvt. Len F. Fields

Pvt. Joseph Secora

1st. Row: Gale, Wholecheese, Ivanoff, Wilson, Yatlin, Stalker, Kakik, Greany, Ballantyne.2nd. Row: Hawkins, Fenn, Conrad, Larsen, Van Zanten, Secora, Goodwin.3rd. Row: Huhndorf, Tetenik, Morrison, Harvey, Foley, Dillman, Manuel.4th. Row: Yokel, Kruvand, Rosenauer, Pierce, Skarland, Hansen, Peracca, Winkelman, Riley, Hoffman, Nierstheimer, Huff.

 

Grant Pearson, Chief Ranger, McKinley National

Park Author of “My Life of High Adventure”

Bradford WashburnDirector; Boston Museum of Science,mountaineer,

Photographer

John M. Greany, Expedition Photographer

Mike Foley, camp fisherman, supplies dinner for the camp

S/Sgt. James E. Gale: Chief NCO, outdoorsman from

Anaconda, MT.

Ivar Skarland: Professor of Anthropology, Univ.of Alaska Fairbanks.