RESPONSES FROM VIEWER E-MAIL

It has been my previlage to receive some very positive responses concerning the CATERPILLAR CLUB web site as well as the expedition and discovery of the C-46 Army Air Corp plane on Blue Ridge Mountain. I wanted to share some of them with you.

On 20 Nov 97 at 23:39, Craig Fuller wrote:

Mark
    I am a fellow "wreck chaser" out on the West Coast. I have been documenting military crash sites in CA, AZ and NV. I am very impressed with your site and what you are doing. On of the first places I went to was Ownership of ... and I thought oh no here is one of those souvineer hunters, but was proved wrong when I read what you did with the C-46. You might want to also include the Navy's stance on the issue, it is totally opposite of the Air Force. While I think the Navy has gone too far on it's owner ship claims. I have seen too many sights be cleaned up by souvineer hunters.Quite often after the item looses it's novelty it sits in the garage or back yard forgotten or worse yet even thrown away. Our museum has received crash parts this way. How would you feel if you
found out that some one recovered the C-46 wing and tail with the serial number to hang in thier garage at home? Not to be preaching at you especially since I think you have done a perfect example of "aviation archaeology" with the C-46.
    I hope to have a similar site up soon, but we will see what time allows. Have you seen the "Aircraft Wrecks in Southern California" site? Or www.lostbirds.com (I think there are going to be down for another week or two) Go to:
http://www.swanet.org/sasig.html and look for messages 358 and 360 to hear me ramble more on aviation archaeology. This is a professional archaeology site.
    I have a question for you... What has been your reasent experence with getting 1955 and earlier crash reports in the last couple years?     I have attached a picture (.bmp) of a P-38 engine & 20mm canon that I have set up a display at a local museum.
    Look forward to hearing back from you.

Craig Fuller

On 3 Jun 97 at 9:27, Bruce Baker wrote:

Mark, I read the article in the Syracuse paper about your search for the plane...my mother sent it to me. My father was a good friend of Charlie Pate as he was a pilot in the same squadron. My father died in 1971, but my mother remembers how sad my dad was when Charlie's plane went down. He as easily could have been the pilot. He met my mother when he was stationed in Syracuse. I still have a lot of my father's things from the war.

I also saw the results of your mission on your web site. Congratulations!

bruce.baker@allendale.com

On 23 May 97 at 8:36, K. Thomas wrote:

Congratulations on your success. I read about it in the Kodak web comments. Thank you for using our products. Sincerely, Kathy Thomas Eastman Kodak Company

On 20 May 97 at 20:20, William Tupper wrote:

you people are to be congradulated for what you have done. i thourghly enjoyed reading about your adventure. don't let what the army at fort drum did bother you to much. i wish you all luck in what you have left to do.

EV & Bill "Smile"

On 19 May 97 at 8:31, RBurchWV@aol.com wrote:

Mark and the Caterpiller Crew,

Congratulations on the success of your mission! I've followed other efforts to find aircraft which crashed during WWII and it is always amazing to me when there is enough of the wreckage left to identify the plane.

The simple ceremony you described sounds very moving. I'm sure families of the men lost in the crash will appreciate knowing what took place at the site.

We will look forward to seeing the photos.

We salute each of you.

Bob (in OK)

On 18 May 97 at 17:53, RBurchWV@aol.com wrote:

Mark, We have read with interest your Web Page. A man from Liverpool sent us the paper article, May 4th Syracuse Herald American, and we found the Web address. Here's wishing you success on your mission which I believe the paper said would be May 17th (yesterday). Hope the next time we check your WEB page, we'll have details of your finding the plane.

This is a very fascinating story. The terrain must be very rugged to hide that large of an aircraft so well. If I were physically able, I'd like to be on the expedition with you! In 1946, I had some experience on a C-46 at Keesler Field in MS. Your dedication to the memory of these flyers is to be commended.

As a former Air Force member, I appreciate your efforts to memoralize the three crewmen who gave their lives for our country.

Bob (in Oklahoma)

On 26 Apr 97 at 11:02, Ken & Sandra Ashton wrote:

Dear Mark What a fabulously interesting and informative Web page. As an old 'expired PPL' aviator, your graphics stopped me in my tracks as I wandered through neigbourhood. I'm going to have to print some of it and take it home to read at leisure.

Ken Ashton

On 18 Apr 97 at 7:06, maxc@ursus3.ursus.maine.edu wrote:

Mark,

An excellent site!! This is especially germane to what CAP is doing...and there are many parallels to current SAR efforts. These accounts are rich in operational experience and well worth reading for their lessons as well as their history.

Did you personally investigate all these sites?

Again, a great job,

Max C. Calderwood, SSgt., CAP MEWG Assistant Historian

On 19 Mar 97 at 19:57, RCaramella@aol.com wrote:

Your web page is just outstanding. You have spent a lot a time putting together a wonderful sight. Mark I'm hooked. Listening to you is like having the Discovery channel and the Learning channel live. I can't tell you how much I believe in what you have stated in the begining of your web page. As you have probably put together I enjoy aircraft very much. I also fully believe that many people died for the freedoms we take for gratnted today; and no one should forget it. Nice job with the web sight. I will be talking to you at work. Remember sign me up for a couple of those cool T-shirts. I'm going back to enjoy your sight.

See ya at work !!

Ron

On 27 Jan 97 at 0:04, JOHN KOZMA wrote:

Mark, I had a couple of minutes to take a look at your site. Very impressive. I had no idea there were so many military plane crashes in this area. That Blue Ridge Mt. trip looks more than a little bit challenging. But it would still would be exciting. How does information about this site get around? Are you indexed on to Yahoo! or one those services? Again, nice job. Talk to you soon.

John K.