PRINTER'S NO. 2878
No. 514 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY MOUL, BEYER, BOYD, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI,
CAUSER, COHEN, CONKLIN, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DALEY, DePASQUALE,
EVERETT, GALLOWAY, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GODSHALL, HARPER,
HARRIS, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, KULA, MAJOR, MANTZ,
MARKOSEK, MELIO, MILLARD, R. MILLER, MILNE, MOYER, MURT,
MUSTIO, PALLONE, PAYNE, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, PYLE, RAPP,
REICHLEY, ROAE, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SAYLOR, SCAVELLO,
SCHRODER, K. SMITH, SONNEY, SWANGER, THOMAS, VEREB,
WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, NOVEMBER 21, 2007
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
NOVEMBER 21, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating June 14, 2008, as "Bakers Creek Memorial Day" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, United States Army Air Force B-17C-BO Flying
4 Fortress No. 40-2072, "Miss Every Morning Fix'n" of the 46th
5 Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, based in
6 Mackay, Australia, crashed at Bakers Creek near Mackay on June
7 14, 1943, killing 40 of the 41 service personnel onboard,
8 including six Pennsylvanians; and
9 WHEREAS, The six Pennsylvania casualties were T/Sgt. Alfred
10 H. Frezza of Altoona; Pfc. James E. Finney of Erie; Sgt. Donald
11 B. Kyper of Huntingdon; Pfc. Frank S. Penksa of Moscow; Sgt.
12 Anthony Rudnick of Clifton Heights; and Cpl. Raymond H. Smith of
13 Oil City; and
14 WHEREAS, The troops aboard the bomber were being flown back
1 to New Guinea after enjoying some leave time in Australia; and
2 WHEREAS, The Bakers Creek crash was the worst accident
3 involving a transport plane in the southwest Pacific theater
4 during World War II; and
5 WHEREAS, The Bakers Creek crash was kept secret from the
6 public, even for many years after the war ended; therefore be it
7 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
8 Pennsylvania, in honor of the victims of the Bakers Creek crash,
9 designate June 14, 2008, as "Bakers Creek Memorial Day" in
10 Pennsylvania; and be it further
11 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
12 each member of the Bakers Creek Memorial Association.
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