Soldiers Mark Anniversary of Deadly Fort Bragg Accident

FORT BRAGG — Friday marked a sad anniversary at Fort Bragg.

Seven years ago, 24 soldiers were killed and 100 more were injured at Pope Air Force Base after a C-130 and F-16 collided in the air. Debris from the accident sprayed across the area, striking a C-141 cargo plane and causing it to explode.

Members of the 2nd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry gathered Friday to read the names of their fallen comrades and place a wreath at a memorial stone.

"The story is now seven years old. Some of you were in the sixth grade when it happened," said former commander BG Stanley McChrysta. "It is as relevant now as it was then."

It was the deadliest Army peacetime accident since World War II. The numbers tell the story: 14 spouses lost their husbands, 26 children lost their fathers and 24 sets of parents lost their sons.