1st Lt. John Bergman
Staff Sgt. Arthur Welin
On November 13, 1949, a B-26 Marauder crashed near Rice Lake Road as it was preparing to land. The pilot, 1st Lt. John Bergman, and crew chief, Staff Sgt. Arthur Welin were killed. The twin engine plane was one of two assigned to the 179th Fighter Squadron.
1st Lt. Wayne Tahtinen
On August 3, 1951, 1st Lt. Wayne J. Tahtinen was killed when the F-51 Mustang he piloted, collided with another Mustang during a training flight 20-miles northwest of Duluth, Minn., near Saginaw. The crash occurred while the 179th Fighter Squadron was activated for the Korean War.
Maj. Frederick Kemp
Capt. Victor Graboski
2nd Lt. John Hughes
Tech. Sgt. Elmer Haas
Staff Sgt. Charles Stewart
Staff Sgt. Allen Christensen
Staff Sgt. Donald Marty
Airman 2nd Class James Stewart
Airman 1st Class William Lange
The greatest single tragedy to hit the 179th Fighter Squadron took place on Memorial Day weekend, May 31, 1954, when a C-47 Skytrain crashed near Sunrise Memorial Cemetery, Hermantown, Minnesota. The C-47, often referred to as the Gooney Bird, was piloted by Maj. Frederick Kemp Jr. and co-piloted by Capt. Victor Graboski.
Also killed were U.S. Army Reserve Col., A.C. Ott and U.S. Air Force Capt. William Lovshin.
There were three survivors on this flight: B. Willeck, G. Ion, and E. Sugars.
1st Lt. Herbert Rowe
2nd Lt. Malcom Jerome Brown
On April 29, 1958, 1st. Lt. Herbert Rowe and 2nd Lt. Malcom Brown died when their F-94C Starfire crashed 11-miles northwest of Duluth near Caribou Lake after takeoff for a routine training mission.
Capt. James Verville
Capt. Sherman Gonyea
On December 17, 1971, during an air defense alert scramble, their F-101B “Voodoo” aircraft experienced a catastrophic engine failure, tearing the fighter jet apart and fating the two airmen to certain death.
Lt Wayne F. Vine
Lt. Wayne F. Vine was killed on March 6, 1973, while ejecting from an F-101 Voo Doo at take-off from George Air Force Base, California during an air defense exercise.
Master Sgt. George R. Ion
Master Sgt. George R. Ion died July 16, 1975, after an aircraft oxygen tank he was removing from an F-101 exploded.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey S. Dennis
Staff Sgt. Christopher Ford
Lt. Col. Jeffrey S. Dennis piloted F-16B #1042 which failed to return from a training flight while deployed to Howard Air Force Base, Panama, on Dec 19, 1991. Staff Sgt. Christopher Ford was a back seat passenger during the flight.
Maj. Peter M. Woodbury:
Maj. Peter M. Woodbury passed when the F-16 he piloted crashed near Greenwood Lake, approximately 35 miles north of Two Harbors, Minnesota on Jan. 7, 1997. Woodbury’s aircraft was one of four F-16s conducting a night training mission.