VMGR MEMORIAL MONUMENT PROJECT INFORMATION

VMGR Memorial Informational Video 

BACKGROUND: In 1970 the Marine Corps lost a KC-130 (BuNo 150685) in a fatal crash in El Toro California. One of the pilots lost on that aircraft was Captain Robert Walls.  Captain Walls cousin,  Mr. Johnathan Keene, spearheaded an effort to have a memorial dedicated and placed at VMGR-352 at MCAS Miramar in honor of his cousin and all those lost.  During that time Mr. Keene also discovered that there was no monument to the other aircrew lost in fatal VMGR incidents over the years. He wanted to try to do something about that! The link below explains. 

VMGR Memorial-The Beginning

Working with our MCATA Historian Alan Stinar (founder of Marine Battle Herk Project) and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation a plan was developed to build a memorial monument in Quantico in honor of those lost.  A committee was formed consisting of Mr. Keene, Alan Stinar, Jacob Cobb (founder of Raidermobile Foundation) and an executive team from MCATA consisting of MCATA President Dave Harshbarger, MCATA Vice President Matt Piliere, MCATA Treasurer John Klossner and Webmaster and Past MCATA President Rich Driscoll.  The Marine Corps Air Transport Association agreed to assist in the fundraising effort to build that memorial by spreading the word and helping with donation collections. 

VMGR pilots and aircrew have flown the Marine Corps KC-130 millions of miles and millions of flight hours since 1962. They have performed their missions magnificently around the globe in peace and in war. During that time, we lost eight KC-130’s with tragic incident fatalities. We also had some close calls reminding us of the inherent dangers of the mission and the risks taken by all who have operated the aircraft and the great sacrifices of the families of the fallen. Below are some links showing the Monument and the dedication.

VMGR Memorial Dedication Ceremony

VMGR Memorial Unveiling

THE MEMORIAL MONUMENT: Above is a picture of the completed monument. The memorial monument is made of black granite and will has the bureau number of each aircraft lost with the number of crew and passenger fatalities. On the back of the memorial are the individual names of each of those crewmembers. The memorial monument's dimensions are:  7 feet high, 3 feet 4 inches wide and 1 foot 3 inches deep. Here are the names of the fallen that are on the monument and some information about each at the link below:

In Memoriam

Basketball 814-Maj. Jimmy Sells PC-Never Forget!

THE SEMPER FIDELIS MEMORIAL PARK: The memorial has been placed in the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park. The Semper Fidelis Memorial Park is an ADA-compliant paved walkway dedicated to the service of Marines today as well as the past. It is part of the National Museum of the Marine Corps and has forty memorials and commemorative bricks along the paths that crisscross each other. Included among those memorials are the statues of Iron Mike and Molly Marine.  To learn more about the park and the monuments already there, go to this link: https://www.marineheritage.org/semperfidelismemorialpark.html

The dedication ceremony for the monument was held June 7, 2024. Nearly 300 extended family members of the fallen attended this ceremony along with another 200 MCATA members, dignitaries and guests. It was a first-class memorial celebration in every way.  

We still have some bricks to sell. These bricks are being placed around the base of the monument and we will sell the remaining for $350, and $500 each. You may personalize these for yourself or someone you wish to honor. For more information on brick sales and other ways to donate, go to this link: Donate

*Note that all the initially available placements are sold. Future brick purchases will be given "best available" placement.