Silent Heroes of the Cold War Memorial
mt. charleston, nv
Discription:
A six-sided concrete monument with engravings and inscriptions of all sides. Some of the wording reads, “Who more than self their country loved.”
“Silent Heroes of the Cold War National Memorial” Names of the 14 men who were killed in the crash of their airplane on Mt. Charleston. A separate structure several feet away consists of a large boulder with one of the twisted airplane propellers mounted on it.
Responcible Organization/Individual:
United States Forest Service; John Harris, Kyle Canyon Project manager.
Designed By:
George Tate, Memorial Architect and Lane Swainston, Project Manager.
Address:
2525 Kyle Canyon Road, Mt. Charleston, NV 89124
GPS Coordinates:
Hours Available
Ceremonies: yes
History:
On November 17, 1955, at 7:25 a.m., a United States Air Force Military Air Transport Service aircraft took off from Burbank, CA with Air Force personal Lockheed and Hycon engineers, Central Intelligence Agency personnel and scientists bound for what is now known as Area 51. At 8:40 a.m. the aircraft was first reported missing. The full story of the 14 men aboard and the U2 reconnaissance plane they helped build remained classified for more than 40 years. Also classified as top-secret was the account of the men who risked their lives while they braved subzero temperatures at 11,500 feet elevation to attempt a rescue on Mt. Charleston. The memorial honors the brave men and women and the hundreds of individuals who worked in obscurity during the Cold War, many of whom have paid for American freedom with their lives.
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