Kern County Obituaries

William H. Dethorn

Submitted by Don Stowell; 13 Feb 2008

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Source Unknown; Thursday, 13 Apr 1944

Ten Killed in Plane Crash Near Mojave
Goes Out of Control in Thunderhead
On Sunday morning last residents of Mojave were startled to hear a. dull, 
booming explosion sound and later to hear the sirens of the Marine Base Fire 
Department go down the street in answer to an alarm which had been turned 
in by phone.	
Later it was learned that a B-24 army bomber had crashed and burned two 
miles out on the Oak Creek road.with ten men aboard, all ot whom were killed. 
March Field public relations officers announced that the plane was on a 
routine combaI flight from that field. The plane appeared to witnesses to come 
out of a cloud known as a. Thunderhead apparently out of control and hurtled 
to the earth at a speed of around 300 miles per hour, or so it seemed.
Eight of the dead are:
Second Lt. Frank A Gurley Jr, 24; father, Frank A Gurley, Louisville, Ky.
Second Lt. William H. Dethorn, 20; mother Mrs. Betty Dethorn, Waukeegan, 
Ill.
Sgt Michael Rudick, 19, mother, Mrs. Bertha Rudick, Charleston, N.C.
Master Sgt. Jessie H. Church, 35, wife Mrs. Sybil Church, 2876 Fifth Street, 
Riverside, Calif.
Corp. Morris Youngblood, 19, mother, Mrs. Chess Youngblood, Tuttle, Okla.
Corp. Thomas Perry, 20, father, Vernon Perry, 907 S. Sherbourne Dr., Los 
Angeles, 
Sgt William Mahan, 19, mother, Mrs. Isabelle Mahan, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Sgt George Beck, 21, father, Arne Beck, New Holland, Ill.
Names of the other victims were withheld pending notification of next of kin.