The 1971 Ellsworth Helicopter Crash: A Story of Service, Loss, and Long-Delayed Recognition
Written By Forgotten Sacrifices Project
On October 9, 1971, a UH-1F "Huey" helicopter departed Ellsworth Air Force Base on a routine mission: transporting Security Police personnel for a changeover at intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) sites away from the base. These flights were part of everyday operations for the 821st Security Police Squadron. Yet what began as routine ended in tragedy.
The helicopter crashed in an open field roughly 11 miles north of Wall, South Dakota, near the entrance of one of the launch control facilities (USAF Rotoheads, n.d.).
Aboard the aircraft were six members of the 821st Security Police Squadron: Staff Sergeant Terry L. Wright, Sergeant Glen G. Wilson, Sergeant David H. Cloe, Sergeant Bernard N. Blake, Airman First Class Larry D. Hughes, and Airman Johnny R. Brock. All six members perished instantly. The mission was never completed.
Policy Changes After the Crash
The tragedy promoted operational changes. Following the crash, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing revised its policies: routine crew changeovers by helicopter would no longer be permitted unless road condition were impassable due to weather. The loss of six airmen underscored the risks inherent in current routine operations and led to the Air Force reevaluating how to balance efficiency and safety.
While the policy change addresses operational safety, it did not address another consequence of the crash which was the absence of lasting national recognition for those who died.
Long Silence and Delayed Recognition
In the immediate aftermath, the men were remembered locally, with their sacrifice noted within Ellsworth Air Force Base and the broader Air Force Security Police community (USAF Police, n.d.). However, over time, their story faded from mainstream public memory. Unlike those killed in combat, service members who die in accidents or routine missions can fall into historical silence, their sacrifices occasionally acknowledged in local circles or base-level memorials.
For more than five decades, the names of Wright, Wilson, Cloe, Blake, Hughes, and Brock remained absent from national law enforcement and memorial records.
In 2024, a dedicated advocacy effort began at Ellsworth Air Force Base to change that. Security Forces personnel researched historical records, located surviving family, and compiled documentation to petition for the men’s inclusion on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (NLEOM) in Washington D.C. (KOTA TV, 2025).
The effort bore fruit in 2025, when the six airmen were formally inducted. Their names once absent from national recognition, are now permanently etched in stone alongside thousands of others who died in the line of duty.
A local news account captured the emotional weight of the advocacy: “Going back into those records, tracking down any surviving family members … I thought it was just the right thing to do,” said one Security Forces member who carried the effort forward (KOTA TV, 2025, para. 7).
The recognition was overdue. For the families, it represented not only an acknowledgement of loss but also the dignity of seeing their loved ones’ service preserved in the nation’s memory.
A Foundation for Broader Rememberance
The story of the 1971 Ellsworth helicopter crash is a cautionary tale about how easily sacrifice can be overlooked when it falls outside the boundaries of combat or war. These six men were not lost in battle, but in the daily execution of their duty, which reminds us that military service carries risk in every form.
Their recognition more than five decades later, serves as the foundation for the Forgotten Sacrifices Project (FSP), an initiative dedicated to honoring theose service members whose sacrifices risk being forgotten. By preserving their memory, FSP underscores that remembrance is a civic duty and a cornerstone of democracy.
In honoring the fallen, whether in combat or in the overlooked routines of duty, we reaffirm the nation’s covenant with those who serve … that no sacrifice is forgotten, and every life given in service carries dignity and meaning.
References
KOTA TV. (2025, January 17). Ellsworth Air Force Base airman working to memorialize airmen from 1971 helicopter crash. Gray Television. https://www.kotatv.com/2025/01/17/ellsworth-air-force-base-airman-working-memorialize-airmen-1971-helicopter-crash/
USAF Police. (n.d.). Ellsworth AFB missile security squadron history. USAF Police Alumni Association. https://www.usafpolice.org/ellsworth-afb-mss-history.html
USAF Rotorheads. (n.d.). UH-1F Ellsworth AFB, SD 09 Oct 1971. USAF Rotoheads. https://usafrotorheads.com/uh-1fellsworth-afb-sd09-oct-1971/