The Yank 72 Memorial

The Yank 72 Memorial Itta Bena, Mississippi On July 10, 2017, an East Coast Marine Corps Reserve KC-130T on its way to California crashed in a Mississippi Delta soybean field in Itta Bena, (Leflore County), Mississippi. The “Yanky 72” memorial is named after the aircraft’s call sign, Clifton Addison, a Marine Corps League member and memorial committee chairman who led an effort that raised more than $100,000 for the memorial. The memorial will have a 30-foot base, with the aircraft orientated toward the last known heading of the Yanky 72. An outer ring includes the names of the fallen service members in brass letters. Seven of the troops were with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command 2nd Raider Battalion. They were traveling for pre deployment training in Arizona. The rest belonged to the reserve unit Marine Aerial Refueling Squadron 452 out of Newburgh, New York. VMGR−452 and 2nd Raider Battalion insignia are included on the memorial as well. In April, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed Senate Bill 2458 that renamed a portion of U.S. Highway 82 in Leflore County, which ran through the crash site, YANKY 72 Memorial Highway.