In the early morning hours of September 11, 1950, Pennsylvania National Guard Troop Train #4, disabled 3/4 mile east of this monument, was struck in the rear by the passenger train, Spirit of St. Louis, resulting in the deaths of 33 soldiers.
The troop train, commanded by LTC Townend, was carrying members of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion en route from Wilkes-Barre to Camp Atterbury before being deployed to Germany during the Korean Conflict.
Radio station WTNS in Coshocton and news director John R. Terry broadcast a live radio-telephone hook-up to a radio station in Wilkes-Barre.
The rescue effort involved citizens of West Lafayette, Coshocton and surrounding areas.
In memory of the thirty three members of the 109th Field Artillery Battalion, Pennsylvania National Guard, killed Sept. 11, 1950
[South facade]:
Service BatteryCarl W. Armbruster · John L. Barna · William R. Disbrow · Wiliam C. Edwards · Joseph E. Fletcher · Edward W. Gallagher · Wallace R. Ludwig · James F. McGinley · Thomas M. Ostrazewski · William F. Tierney · Arthur J. Thomas · Thomas W. Wallace
[North facade]:Battery BLeonard Balonis · Eugene Carr · John W. Cox · William J. Dougherty · Hugh L. Fargus · Harold Handlos · Clyde P. Harding · Martin Hornlein · Ronald J. Jackson · Lester J. Kuehn · Larry L. Luzinski · Frank C. Martinez · Charles Norton · Bernard S. Okrasinski · Raymond Pudlowski · Richard A. Royer · William F. Sobers · William M. Wellington · Gilbert B. Wharton · Edmund F. Zabicki · Donald C. Zieker
[East facade]:
This memorial is dedicated to the many citizens of Coshocton County who aided in the early morning rescue effort during the troop train accident of September 1950.
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