Richard Melvin Wurgel was born on July 18, 1922. He served in the 14th Troop Carrier Squadron as a First Lieutenant during World War II. During the Berlin Airlift, he was a crew member on one of the supply planes carrying airplane engines and other parts to Burtonwood Air Base in England for maintenance, when his plane, C-54 #45-554, crashed into a hillside in England on a foggy, misty day in January 1949. The crash, caused by navigation interference from a nearby radio tower, occurred 15 miles northeast of Blackpool, England on January 7, 1949. 1LT Wurgel is buried now in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.
Crew of the C-54 #45-5543:
CPT William A. Rathgeber
PVT Ronald E. Stone
CPL Norbert H. Theis
SGT Bernard J. Watkins
1LT Lowell A. Wheaton, Jr.
1LT Richard M. Wurgel
PRIVATE CITIZENS SUPPORTING AMERICA'S HERITAGE
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War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
Wurgel Richard Melvin
Name:
Richard Melvin Wurgel
Rank:
First Lieutenant
Serial Number:
AO 826 341
Unit:
14th Troop Carrier Squadron, 61st Troop Carrier Group
Date of Death:
1949-01-07
State:
New Jersey
Cemetery:
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia
Plot:
Section 11
Row:
Grave:
Site 543 RH
Decoration:
Comments: