Buzz One Four Memorial MD
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Description: During the height of the Cold War, the United States maintained a constant fleet of B-52 bombers in the air, 24/7, armed with nuclear bombs and strategically positioned within striking distance of the USSR. On the night of January 12th, 1964, a bomber known by the call sign "Buzz One Four" was on its way back to its base in Georgia, with a stopover in Massachusetts, when it encountered a severe winter blizzard. Despite the treacherous conditions, the crew continued their journey at an altitude of 30,000 feet, carrying a payload of air-to-ground missiles and two nine-megaton nuclear bombs. Tragically, the aircraft lost control as its tail section was torn from the airframe due to the storm's intensity. The plane tumbled out of control, flipping upside down and crashing into the slopes of Savage Mountain. Only the pilot and co-pilot survived, having ejected into the midst of the raging storm and parachuted down to the remote countryside in Maryland. Sadly, the navigator and tail gunner succumbed to exposure before they could be rescued. The fifth crew member, the radar bombardier, did not manage to eject and was later discovered buried under 14 inches of snow that had fallen during the storm. In tribute to the memory of the "Buzz One Four" crew, who were casualties in the silent battle of deterrence waged in the skies above Europe while America slumbered, Eagle Scout Aaron Cuppett designed and constructed this memorial.