Answers to your Questions

There have been a number of important questions that have been asked about the ARIA 328 Memorial Foundation and it's Mission. If you have a question, feel free to contact Randy Losey.

Why build an ARIA 328 Memorial in Walkersville?

First and foremost the ARIA 328 Memorial is to pay respect to the Crew Members and Passengers of ARIA 328.

I replied to an email that I received which answers another aspect of this question. An excerpt of the reply is as follows:

The intent of the ARIA 328 Memorial in Walkersville Maryland is not to take away from the Memorial at the National Museum of the Air Force. The Memorial in Walkersville will bring attention to the Dayton Memorial and more importantly, provide a place to reflect for the many First Responders and Towns People that were there at the crash site that day in May.

During the Town Meeting to vote for approval of the Memorial, an emotional Burgess (Mayor), shared with everyone his memories of that day. He was one of many Volunteer Firemen that responded, there were many that were changed that day. I have had the privilege in talking to a number of these people and they have shared their personal feelings with me. It opened my eyes and gave me a different perspective.

Every May 6th I go to the Memorial at Dayton at 10:30 am along with many other old friends and 328 family members to pray and remember. The ARIA 328 Memorial in Walkersville will provide a place for those in Walkersville who need to do the same.

Randy Losey

Why build the Memorial Now?

This question has been asked many times. I have been asked by fellow ARIA Alumni, the News Media, and others. Let me share with you a story.

In the fall of 2004, I received an e-mail from a former Walkersville Resident. He had found my flyARIA.com Advanced Range Instrumentation History site through a Web Search. He commented about the web site and how he liked it. I replied to his e-mail and thanked him for his comments. 

The next day I received another e-mail from him. He told me that he had recovered some personally identifiable items from the crash site in the years following the crash. He explained that he had tried to return the items to the families but he could not find out any information that would permit him to do so. He offered to send me the items to ultimately return to the families. 

I was taken back by this e-mail, I didn't believe him until the package arrived on a Saturday. I could not bring myself to open it immediately, it sat on the dining room table for most of the day. As promised, the items were in the box neatly packed with care. 

The former Walkersville Resident was David Denn. David was 12 when ARIA 328 went down over Walkersville. David had kept the items for all of these years looking for a course to return them.

Within days of David Denn's initial contact, I received an e-mail from a family member of one of 328's crew. This was a first communication for me with this family and when I received the package from David Denn, I learned that this individual would be my first contact with the news of the recovered item for their family. I later learned from David that it was by this crewmember's name in a Web Search that he found the flyARIA.com web site.

All of the families involved with the recovery were contacted and items were returned. I had the pleasure of talking with extremely appreciative families. I told them about David Denn and the story of how it came to be.

David had also included another recovered item in the package that he had sent for the ARIA 328 family members intended for me. He didn’t tell me that he was sending anything else.

What David didn’t know was that on the morning of the 6^th of May I was tasked to deliver a CRU-60 oxygen regulator to an awaiting ARIA 328. I arrived at the flight line, ARIA 328 engines running, climbed into the aircraft and delivered the CRU-60. 

In the package David had included a CRU-60 that he recovered the following year after the crash.  

Bob Beach, a former ARIA MC, had thrown out an idea to a number of ARIA Alumni about placing some type of a Marker in Walkersville for ARIA 328. At this time he was not aware of the events of the recovery.  

With the events that had transpired, it was clear to me that we were being driven to construct a Memorial. 

Randy Losey


What happens to the donations if the ARIA 328 Walkersville Memorial is not built?

The ARIA 328 Memorial in Walkersville will be constructed, period. The Town of Walkersville has graciously donated the land to construct the ARIA 328 Memorial and we will construct the Memorial when the funds are available to do so. The ARIA 328 Memorial Foundation is tasked to construct the ARIA 328 Memorial in Walkersville.