Thomas Coleman holds an umbrella for Sue Davis as she places a wreath to honor the fallen airmen from Spence Field. Davis is one of two surviving daughters of the deceased pilots; the other was unable to attend Tuesday’s ceremony.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected from its original version. A plane crash that was originally identified as happening in 1925 actually happened in 1945.MOULTRIE — On Sept. 26 — a rainy Tuesday morning — 62 pilots who lost their lives while training at Spence Field during World War II were honored with a historical marker and a dedication ceremony.

“We are a little overwhelmed. The interest in this has just grown,” said Nancy Coleman, regent of the John Benning Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) before the event.

She also said that one of the most fulfilling moments was seeing the city and county staff, who installed the marker, taking their time to read the marker and say, “Man, this is so cool.”

Coleman said that’s what she wants people to say when they read it and learn about the Spence Field story.

The memorial service was held in the Farm Press building, at Spence Field, with family members of some of the fallen pilots in attendance. There was standing room only with students of the Colquitt County High School USMC JROTC filling up the back of the building. These students assisted with the event by directing traffic to the parking area and helping direct cars into spaces.

Coleman remarked in her welcome that it seemed appropriate that it was raining because, “It’s said when a good man dies, the sky cries.”

“And we’re honoring several good men today,” she added.

Mayor Bill McIntosh gave a welcome from the City of Moultrie. “This is an important historical event in the life of the City of Moultrie and Colquitt County and this whole area. In my 40 years as mayor, I’ve had the opportunity to welcome many, many audiences of all different kinds. However, I cannot remember an opportunity to extend a welcome for a more momentous occasion than this one,” he said.

He said it was a special honor to welcome the family members and friends of the outstanding young men who were being remembered at the event.

“Our community has continued to this day to be blessed in so many ways by the legacy of Spence Field cadets who passed our way,” McIntosh said.

Col. Paul Nagy, the vice chair of the Colquitt County Commission, gave a welcome from the county, thanking Coleman and the DAR, the City of Moultrie, the Leadership Program at Colquitt County High School (who raised money to support the event), Col. Bobby Buckner of Moody Air Force Base and the Tyndall Air Force Base color guard, all for making the event happen.

Nagy also said that the young men who died at Spence Field were every bit as important as those who died elsewhere during World War II.

“You family members can take heart that during our country’s hour of need, your loved one, your family member stood-up, signed-up and showed-up,” he said.

In closing, he told the younger audience members that ceremonies like this one were important because the base of a serviceman’s strength is the knowledge that he will never be forgotten or left behind.

“That’s why ceremonies like this are so important. They’re important to the health of our nation,” Nagy said.

Bill McLean, whose research led to the ceremony, gave a little background on how he got involved.

He said that, in 2015, a man in Washington state wrote an article in a local newspaper asking for assistance in locating information on two airplane crashes in Colquitt County in 1945. So, he got involved in doing some research for the man and his family. In doing the research, people told him about other crashes in other parts of the county. This got him interested in learning more about the other airplane crashes and he continued to research the other crashes. He found that more than 50 men from Spence Field had been killed in plane crashes, he said.

“And I knew, then, that we needed to do something to honor them,” McLean said.

He contacted Jean Gay, first vice regent of the John Benning Chapter of the DAR, with the information that he had and told her that he thought they should do something for the pilots who had lost their lives. McLean continued to research, going through numerous editions of the Moultrie Observer to track down all of the plane crashes that had happened. The next step, he said, was to locate and contact the families of the pilots.

“We were able to find relatives of all 62 men,” McLean said.

During the ceremony, Gaystood and read the names of the men while an American flag was placed in recognition of each, and their family members stood to be recognized, as well. Flags with 48 stars were used in the ceremony because that was the official flag at the time of the servicemen’s deaths.

An official response from the United States Air Force was made by Col. Bobby Buckner of Moody Air Force Base.

“We are a better service today for the folks that went in front of us and cleared the path and the lessons learned,” he said.

He then thanked the Tyndall honor guard and told the JROTC students in the back that they were very important. He teased about getting them interested in joining the Air Force and told them not to tell their colonel. He also thanked the DAR, the Mayor, Colquitt County and the private donors of the memorial marker for inviting him to the event. He said that it was an honor for he and his wife to be in attendance.

“It’s a very solemn opportunity I have today to recognize 62 American lives lost between 1942 and 1945, here, at Spence Field. … We stand together with their families and descendants to remember what their honorable sacrifices meant,” Buckner said.

He further said that the Army Air Force airmen who lost their lives did so with the intention of defending democracy and freedom across the globe in a time of great turmoil.

“They helped pave the way for not only what was to become the United States Air Force but a more peaceful world,” he said.

He told the family members present that he humbly followed in their men’s footsteps and their sacrifice would not be forgotten. He also thanked them for their airman’s sacrifice.

“On behalf of the President of the United States, the United States Air Force and a grateful nation, let this marker stand as a symbol of appreciation for your loved ones’ honorable and faithful service. Let this air field always be remembered and protected as a symbol of sacrifice and honor and above all, let this marker be a record of what those 62 airmen embodied. True and unbridled service for their country. They are not forgotten,” Buckner finished.

Coleman closed the service by thanking the sponsors, organizations and individuals who made the event possible and asked them to stand up and be recognized.

“A project of this magnitude requires the support of the community and this community responded as it always does to our veterans and active duty military,” she said.

The attendees regrouped at the base of the flight tower on Spence Field, where the marker was unveiled by family members of the airmen and a wreath was laid. The American Legion Tri-County Memorial Team provided a 21-gun salute and “Taps” was played by Ryan Borger.