Navy Band Pays Tribute to Fallen Musicians

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- This year, the Navy Band commemorates the anniversary of a significant event in Navy Band history.

On Feb. 25, 1960, a Navy transport plane carrying 19 members of the band collided with a Brazilian commercial airliner over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, resulting in the loss of all the musicians
on board.

That event 50 years ago this February marks the largest tragedy in the band's 84-year history, and is vividly remembered by the families of the deceased, as well as by the surviving bandsmen who mourn the loss of their shipmates.

In the early 1960s, the United States was firmly entrenched in fighting the Cold War, and one of the fronts in this struggle was South America. Acting on the belief that the Soviet Union was attempting to expand its influence in the Western Hemisphere, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower traveled to South America on a goodwill mission dubbed "Operation Amigo."

In support of that mission, 93 members of the Navy Band departed on Feb. 6, 1960, for a 30-day tour, to perform at various functions for the president and other dignitaries. The first leg of the journey was a flight from Andrews Air Force Base to Trinidad, and from there the band was billeted on the USS Macon (CA 132), a Navy cruiser. According to retired Cmdr. Allen Beck (then a musician 2nd class, who later served as the seventh leader of the Navy Band, from 1984 to 1989), "Over 90 musicians on a cruiser like that was, I think, a shock to a lot of the Sailors who were on that ship. They weren't used to having musicians on board."

While the band and the president were visiting Buenos Aires, Argentina, then-Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek invited Eisenhower to an unscheduled reception at the U.S. embassy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the evening of Feb. 25. The Navy Band was asked to provide "semi-classical" music for the reception. Early that morning, a small chamber orchestra of 18 enlisted men and one officer boarded a Navy R6D transport plane for the short trip to Rio de Janeiro, wearing their dress khaki uniforms.

On approach to the airport in heavy fog, the Navy plane collided with a Brazilian commercial airliner over Guanabara Bay and fell in pieces to the water, with the loss of all on board except three: Lt. j.g. George P. Fitzgibbons, Sonarman 2nd Class F.E. Wilson, and Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class H.R. Halenza, who miraculously survived in the tail section, which was severed from the rest of the plane. These three Sailors were not attached to the band; they were accompanying it to Rio as part of an anti-submarine crew. Twelve of their crewmates also perished in the accident, Including those aboard the Brazilian airliner, approximately 80 lives were lost that morning.

Memorial services were held aboard the Macon to honor the lives and service of their shipmates. An excerpt from a special memorial section of the Macon's cruise book reads: "They were ambassadors in the highest and best sense speaking a universal language to the hearts of men without regard of border, breed or birth. What seemed to be a voyage which would be remembered as 'The President's Cruise' will always be recorded in our hearts as 'The Cruise of the United States Navy Band.'"

The grief felt by the rest of the band when they heard the news of the crash was profound. Like today, the band then was a permanent duty station, to which personnel were assigned for their entire naval careers, and the band members reacted to the loss of their shipmates very much as if they were family.

Adding to already tragic circumstances were security measures related to the president's trip, which made it difficult to immediately inform families in the U.S. about the accident and release an official list of the deceased. A meeting was held with the enlisted bandsmen and officers, at which they were informed that the rest of the tour would continue as scheduled. This decision was difficult for the band, but the trip continued for several more days before the return flight to Andrews Air Force Base.

At a funeral service on March 8 at Arlington National Cemetery, 14 band members were buried with military honors (private family ceremonies were held for the other five men). A 42-piece joint services special funeral band comprised of musicians from the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force bands and selected musicians from the Navy School of Music honored their fallen comrades by providing music for the ceremony. Then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon attended, along with then-Secretary of the Navy William B. Frank and then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Arleigh Burke.

The Navy Band plans to commemorate this event throughout the year to pay tribute to their shipmates, and to their ultimate sacrifice given in the service of their country. Below is a list of the bandsmen who perished that day.

Lt. Johann Harold Fultz, Musician 2nd Class William F. Albrecht, Chief Musician Elmer L. Armiger, Chief Musician Henry Bein, Musician 2nd Class Milton G. Bergey Musician 1st Class Robert L. Clark, Musician 1st Class Anthony M. D'Amico, Musician Seaman Apprentice Albert J. Desiderio, Musician 1st Class Reyes S. Gaglio Jr., Musician 1st Class Richard D. Harl, Musician 1st Class Gerald R. Meier, Chief Musician Raymond H. Micallef, Chief Musician James A. Mohs, Chief Musician Walter M. Penland, Chief Musician Earl W. Richey, Chief Musician Jerome Rosenthal, Musician 1st Class Vincent P. Tramontana, Musician 1st Class Roger B. Wilklow, and Chief Musician Jefferson B. Young

For more news from U.S. Navy Band, visit www.navy.mil/local/nb/.