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Sonya House
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
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May 1, 2005--Sonya House wants to remember. Not bad times . . .but good people who were lost January 16,
1965 in the crash of a KC-135 tanker plane at 20th and Piatt. She lives on
Piatt. She felt the crash, saw the flames. Now she's hoping for a monument to the survivors. |
"Right over there, It was 67 steps right over there."
“And I stepped this way and by the time I got right here, there went the fire right past my
window right there.”
Sonya House lived through a nightmare. Her house just a few yards from the crash site. |
| “Flames burning way up there in the sky. I saw the fire rolling down the street just rolling
and burning high you know. It seemed like hell you know. I had never seen hell before, I
didn’t know how it would be. But it looked like everything in the world was burning.” |
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“Somebody said it was so hot it was burning up the fire trucks. It was really hot.”
In Sonya's neighborhood, south of 21st and Piatt, was Wichita's worst aviation disaster.
“And if it would have splashed this way, I wouldn’t be here today.”
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In that neighborhood . . .fourteen adults died.
"And my neighbors burned up."
Eight children died.
“I never got to see them again.”
Seven crewmen died. |
“That’s a long time, 40 years and three months.”
An unborn child is counted as the thirtieth victim.
“And still there is no monument.” |
And that is the problem for Sonya and many others.
“God left me here to tell about this. They keep bringing it up and bringing it up. Now let’s
go ahead and do something about this.”
A park was built where houses once stood. But there is no memorial to the victims - no way to
remember the people. |
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“And I care because they are all gone. I care because it is something that should be done in
the neighborhood in that park can see that there is not only just a memorial park there, but
there is something there to tell them what it is a memorial about.” |
Working in her church and interacting with others Sonya is one of many who hopes Wichita won't
forget about those who perished.
“But God saw fit that it wasn’t you and God saw fit that it wasn’t me. So therefore you and go
ahead and help out with it can’t you?”
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As she aged, Sonya felt it was time to speak out an now she has.
“But the children who play here can see, all these people got killed, I didn’t know
that…they can see and remember. It’s a part of history and they will know it actually took place right
here in Wichita, Kansas.” |
If you would like to help provide a memorial of those who died in the KC-135 crash you can send
a donation to:
Piatt Memorial Project
P. O. Box 20335
Wichita, KS 67208 |
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