Cold Mountain Bomber Crash: The Enduring Legacy

Cold Mountain Bomber Crash: The Enduring Legacy by Doris Rollins Cannon. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780977210107.

On Friday the 13th of September, 1946 a B-25 bomber crashed on fog-shrouded Cold Mountain in Haywood County, North Carolina. Killed instantly were five World War II heroes, ranging in age from 27 to 40. They were Major General Paul B. Wurtsmith, who was the youngest General in the Army Air Force; Lieutenant Colonel Fred L. Trickey Jr., Lieutenant Colonel Paul R. Okerbloom, Master Sergeant Hosey W. Merritt, and Staff Sergeant Hoyt W. Crump. This book contains the official account of the tragic event; reaction of those who lived near Cold Mountain; the amazing lives of the men who died, including their childhood and young adult years and their experiences in World War II; what happened to their widows and small children after their deaths; and the remarkable impact of the bomber crash on lives of others through the years. The book also illustrates how profound good can stem from horrible tragedy.