Clifford Eugene Phillips

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Clifford Eugene Phillips

• Buster

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On September 18, 1944, Clifford Eugene Phillips
Buster was on his way home for leave when his
plane crashed into Mt. Deception Alaska.
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A rescue party of 44 brave volunteers set out to
locate the wreckage and recover those on board
the downed C47 aircraft.
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The climb was steep and difficult with the slope
at 45 degrees in some places.
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Basin 2 camp.
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When the search and rescue team found the
wreckage it was just piles of metal. The rescue
team searched for three days to recover the
bodies and only found a few personal effects.
None of the remains of the nineteen men aboard
the downed C-47 were recovered. The rescue
mission lasted 48 days.
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Part of the wreckage buried in snow.
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Digging for the C-47
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Part of the fuselage.
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Aircrafts tail.
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Rescue team going home.
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44 Brave Volunteers
Grant Pearson, the chief ranger for Mt. McKinley
National Park Brad Washburn, director of the
Boston Museum of Science Captain Americo R.
Peracca, Corps of Engineers and 11th Air Force
Land Rescue expert headed the expedition Major
John G. Hill, expedition organizer. James A.
Ford, mountain climbing expert from the Office of
the Quartermaster General in Washington, DC
joined the party as a technical advisor Sgt.
John M. Greany, Signal Service Corps, became the
expedition photographer.
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Base HQ and Air Base Squadron

• Lt. Allen M. Dillman
• S/Sgt. Donald R. Groll
• Sgt. James E. Gale
• Sgt. Karl M. Ivanoff
• Cpl. Eugene Tetinek
• Cpl. Eugene V. Hawkins
• PFC William E. Cook
• PFC Michael V. Foley

• PFC Richard D. Huff
• PFC William R. Harvey
• Pvt. Elmo G. Fenn
• Pvt. Donald E. Riley
• Pvt. Stanley J. Huhndorf
• Pvt. Andrew A. Wholecheese
• Pvt. Howard Wilson
• Pvt. David J. Yatlin

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Infantry

• S/Sgt. Richard O. Manuell
• Sgt. Michael A. Hanson
• Sgt. Jack J. Van Zanten

• PFC Samuel Kakik
• PFC Tommy Goodwin
• PFC Jack N. Yokel

Engineers PFC Van H. Ballantyne Pvt. John F.
Morrison
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Hq. Co. AD

• T/4 Woodrow W. Page
• T/4 Charles J. Perricone
• Cpl. Raymond Conrad
• Cpl. Joseph C. Rosenauer

• T/5 Jacob A. Stalker
• T/5 Fuller S. Thompson
• T/5 Aden E. Winkelman
• Pvt. Ivar Skarland

  Hospital Capt. George W. Morris Pvt. Wallace
W. Atkinson
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AACS S/Sgt. Harry O. Kruvand  Weather
Squadron S/Sgt Harry P. Pierce Cpl. Howard
Hoffman  Base Medical Detachment T/5 James C.
Larsen    
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Rescue Boat Squadron Pvt. Joseph
Britch   Remaining Volunteers T/Sgt. Richard D.
Nierstheimer Pvt. Len F. Fields Pvt. Joseph
Secora
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1st. Row Gale, Wholecheese, Ivanoff, Wilson,
Yatlin, Stalker, Kakik, Greany, Ballantyne.2nd.
Row Hawkins, Fenn, Conrad, Larsen, Van Zanten,
Secora, Goodwin.3rd. Row Huhndorf, Tetenik,
Morrison, Harvey, Foley, Dillman, Manuel.4th.
Row Yokel, Kruvand, Rosenauer, Pierce, Skarland,
Hansen, Peracca, Winkelman, Riley, Hoffman,
Nierstheimer, Huff. 
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Grant Pearson, Chief Ranger, McKinley National
Park Author of My Life of High Adventure
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Bradford WashburnDirector Boston Museum of
Science,mountaineer, Photographer
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John M. Greany, Expedition Photographer
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Mike Foley, camp fisherman, supplies dinner for
the camp
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S/Sgt. James E. Gale Chief NCO, outdoorsman from
Anaconda, MT.
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Ivar Skarland Professor of Anthropology, Univ.of
Alaska Fairbanks.