Curtis Robert Risley: 1919-1942
Wartime Air Tragedy
The life of
my third cousin twice removed Curtis Robert Risley paralleled that of Icarus of
Greek myth—both were young men who fell from the sky to their deaths.
Curtis
Risley was born in Hermon, New York on September 28, 1919 to George N. Risley
and Curtie Helen Weeks Day Risley. His mother Curtie was the daughter of Simeon
Peterson Day, son of Jemima Mills Day. Jemima was my great-grandfather Joel
Mills’ sister, so Curtis and I shared a common set of ancestors, John Mills and
Hannah Nichols Mills—my fourth-great grandparents and Curtis’
great-grandparents.
Curtis had
two older brothers, George and Richard. His father was a banker working for the
National Bank in Hermon and later an accountant, so their lives were probably
fairly comfortable. By age twenty when he filled out his WWII draft card,
Curtis was working for a beer and beverage distribution business, Edson A
Martin, near his hometown.
 |
| Curtis' draft card |
Curtis was
inducted into the military on May 11, 1941. He was first stationed at Pine
Camp, a military facility near Watertown, New York, built on farmland seized by
the government in preparation for training WWII draftees. He was selected for aviation
training, and first sent to Alabama, and then transferred to Shaw Field Air
Base in South Carolina for his flight training.
 |
| Pine Camp training facility April 19, 1941 |
On July 30,
1942, Curtis and his flight instructor, Lt. Hoyt Acker, were flying near the
base. Curtis was only two or three months from finishing his training as a
pilot, so he was no longer a novice pilot. Another trainee was also in flight
that day with a civilian instructor, and somehow the two planes collided. Both
planes plummeted to the ground, killing Curtis, Lt. Acker and the other
trainee, Fray McMillan of Michigan. The civilian instructor survived but was
seriously injured.
 |
| Modern reprint of 1941 articles |
Curtis’
death certificate spells out the horrific impact. The cause of death is listed
as “Destruction of vital centers. Multiple crushing injuries of entire body.”
The
obituary in the Potsdam, New York paper noted that, “Mr. and Mrs. Risley were
notified on Friday morning of the death of their son by a telegram from army officials
at the South Carolina Air Base and the body was brought north for funeral
services.” What a shock the receipt of that telegram must have been!
Curtis
Robert Risley was buried at Hermon Cemetery in Saint Lawrence County, New
York. His service as an Aviation Cadet
is still honored on Veteran’s Day as this photo of his grave shows.
Sources:
Index Journal
Greenville South Carolina July 31, 1942: Instructor, Cadets Killed in Shaw
Crash
Potsdam
Herald-Recorder - Friday August 7, 1942
Newspapers.com -
Asheville Citizen-Times - 1 Aug 1942 - Page 2
Army and Navy Journal, Volume 79, Issues 27-52, Aug 8, 1942, pg. 1392
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