On November 17, 1955, USAF 9068, a Military Air Transport aircraft, took off from Lockheed’s California facility. Their flight, along with their destination, was classified top-secret. On board were USAF, CIA, engineers, and physicists. Their destination was Area 51. They never arrived. At 8:19 a.m. their aircraft impacted the south rim of Mount Charleston. The families of the deceased for over 40 years were denied closure, not knowing what happened. 

In September of 1998, Steve Ririe visited the crash site near the peak of Mt. Charleston. Sitting alone at over 10,000 ft. elevation he had an experience that began a 17-year effort to uncover what happened to USAF 9068. His efforts resulted in the building of the Silent Heroes of the Cold War National Memorial and the USAF 9068 Memorial. Steve Ririe and Chris Hays, Co-chairs of the memorial committee, along with Duane Titus, a member of the Sheriff’s Mounted Posse who recovered the victims of the crash in 1955, will be panel members. They will be ready to answer your questions. Lane Swainston, a memorial committee member, will lead the panel discussion.