John Coryell Leysath
1954
Electrical Engineering
Cadet Sergeant First Class, First Lieutenant Platoon Leader: Distinguished Military Graduate, Honors, AIEE, Wesley Foundation; Tri County Club; Captain, Captain Rifle Team
North, South Carolina
Mr. and Mrs. Horace Leysath
Air Force, First Lieutenant
Stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas
Jul 7, 1932
Mar 28, 1956
Non Battle - He was killed in the explosion of a B-47 near Connell AFB, Kansas.
He was buried in Pen Branch Cemetery with full Military Honors.
SW
Personal Remembrances
"John C. Leysath, Class of 54 was a good friend of mine. "Jackie" would go home with me to date a distant cousin. In fact, he and his date were with me when I gave my wife of 54 years her diamond. I reported in for active duty in Aberdeen, MD and one morning picked up my copy of the Baltimore Sun and there was a write up of a B-47 crash and he was on it. What a shock." - Carl Brabham '54
He was the first Eagle Scout from North, SC.
He worked for General Electric prior to entering active duty.
Additional Information
28 March – A B-47 Stratojet sheds its wings over East Wichita, Kansas and explodes, crashing four miles (6 km) NE of the city, killing three crew. The office of information services at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet (610 m) altitude. Lt. Maurice Boyack, pilot of a Navy P2V Neptune bomber, out of Naval Air Station Hutchinson, Kansas, said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn. He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47. He said it appeared there was a fire in the mid-section, followed by the explosion. Fire fighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour. The plane crashed within 1,000 feet (300 m) of two large suburban houses. Officials at McConnell AFB identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita. He is survived by his widow and two sons. The students were Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin whose wife and two sons are reported to be living in Milwaukee; and 1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of North, South Carolina
Extracts from a newspaper article:
Wichita, KS., B-47 Strato-jet Explosion & Crash. Mar. 1956 – 3 Die In Jet Plane Blast
Wichita, KS. (UP) – “A B-47 Strato-jet exploded over East Wichita Wednesday as thousands watched. It crashed four miles northeast of the city, killing its crew of three. The office of information services at McConnell Air Force Base said the explosion occurred after takeoff, probably at about 2,000 feet altitude. Wreckage was strewn along the countryside for several miles as the wings sheared off and the fuselage tumbled to earth.
McConnell identified the pilot and instructor as Capt. William C. Craggs of Wichita. He is survived by his widow and two sons. The students were: Lt. Col. William H. Dames, 39, of Oconomowoc, Wis. His wife and two sons are reported to be living in Milwaukee. 1st Lt. John C. Leysath, 24, of North, South Carolina.
The six-jet USAF plane was watched in its death plunge by the pilot of a Navy Neptune bomber, Lt. Maurice Boyack of the Hutchinson, Kan., Naval Air Station. Boyack said the explosion occurred in a climbing turn. He flew his bomber to a point where he could see the wings rip off the B-47. He said it appeared there was a fire in the mid-section, followed by the explosion.
Fire fighters battled the blaze at the crash scene for more than an hour. The plane crashed within 1,000 feet of two large suburban houses.”
Anderson Herald, Anderson, IN 29 Mar 1956
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Transcribed by Lori Hedges.
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The State 03/31/1956 p9A