Website updated on 5 April 2002
This is an MB-1 crash truck, Eleven foot high that flipped over on it's side June 7th 1958. A jet aircraft had lost most of it's fuel on taxi way between S.O.E.S and the run way and the fuel covered a wide area, After the alarm went off we started for the crash area. the crash sight was so close to the barn that we were trying to get our bunker gear on while in route to the site I had just got my hood on and was trying to buckle up the coat when the driver Cpl. Lamar in an attempt to spot with the wind, Began to slide in the fuel like an ice slick, It seemed to me that the truck might tip so I shouted to Pfc.Bushka get ready to Jump!' He just hung on to the breast plate for dear life, As the truck slid side ways the tires ran out of of the slick fuel and the truck lifted up from the left side and I knew we were in deep shit so I jumped just as I knew it was going over, I leaped from the truck more like a dive, I landed on my toes and kept going forward to my knees and then on my hands. I then got up turned around and there was PFC Bushka with his right leg under the truck up to his knee, I was young then and had never witnessed a man scream like that I ran back and was trying to lift the truck off of him I guess I lost it for a few minutes, Then they pulled me back from the scene of the wreck. I was there until they brought the big crane over to lift it up off off Bushka Here's the kicker!' They put a choker cable around the inside of the the door as you can see in the picture the damage done trying to lift the vehicle from his leg. When they began to lift the truck off his leg, they had it almost of off his leg the cable cut right through the upper case of the door and it came back down on his leg again !!!' this young Marine was in one hell of a fix by now yelling an screaming and Praying,, that was the last thing I saw as I reluctantly had to get into the ambulance when they noticed that I was bleeding from my hand, when I got to Sick Bay I started to notice that my arm was swollen real bad at the elbow, Xray showed a broken elbow and they stitched up my hand,, Bushka wound up with a game leg and was allowed to finish his hitch Lamar and the other two guys were able to go back to duty the next day I had light duty in the supply room surveying bunker gear for twelve weeks till the cast came off. Marv Cadrette
Ike: This is an MB-1 Face inboard to the Crash Barn Notice the The blast Horns I believe they cold be the same horns that were there when I was They sound the same on your web sight. Boy did that sound bring back memories for me. there wasn't to many nights when on Port and Star board duty is what we called it a day on a day off and every other weekend. there would always be some plane coming in with smoke in the cock pit or a fire warning light I used to think that the bastards did it so we would be
Hi Ike: I was in the Crash Crew In the late fifties The Crash barn was at the bass of the tower. I was in a accident when an MB-1 tipped over with the full Crew aboard, I wound up with a broken arm, Pvt. Buska Got his leg caught under it and Cpl. Lamar the driver received a bad head wound. Buska and I were on the turrets of the MB-1 foam truck. one of the Handlinemen was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher My name is Marv Cadrette I see that now you have patches for the crash crew I drew one up when I was in but I never got off the ground I I finished my hitch and no one else wanted to run with it I have a lot of pictures of the old Crash truck they are black and white. I am a member of the Marine corps League in Rome NY.I stumbled on this site going through some of the Marine corps sites. I remember the time when I was driving the Jeep that we used for wheels watch, or tacking officers out to the run ways. One night I was on dispatch duty and we ran out of coffee so I crabbed the urn and started out for the Mess Hall, The Jeep was yellow Color the same color as the FOLLOW ME JEEP,Well when I pulled out from the Barn this National Guard Plane was taxing and go figure !' the weekend warrior followed me instead of the follow me jeep, I cut though the parking lot and so did this Rocket scientist, not being aware of it I preceded to the Mess Hall got the coffee and upon my return I observed all the Crash trucks out lighting up the night and this F-J photo Plane in the ditch just yards away from the barn. so I left the Jeep were it was and got on my truck turret and my buddy Howard Shields says, Cadrette were you driving that Jeep the cut in front off the follow me jeep I said yeah why?' shields says leave it there and don't say nothing their head hunting for the yellow jeep and the driver. needless to say I left the jeep in the shadows near the building were I parked it and the next day their was a big inquiry but no body new nothing, The F-J broke a strut an the wing had got bent, being it was an Army plane took the heat off of the incident or I think I would still be in the Brig. Fraternally Yours PFC Marv Cadrette U.S.M.C. Nov. 1956 thru. 6 Nov. 1959
Cherry Point Tower Late 1950's
CO2 Truck
Bunker Gear of yore
CFC Puerto Rico 1958 Tra-X
Here is one of the pictures.
The one with the hat over his heart is Pvt. Shiedls he was with me on many capers actually he was the devils advocate in most occasions.I am the one in the first rowseccond terd from the right with arms crossed.