European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 07, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday september 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Over Here crash victims caskets Are covered with . And ethiopian lags at the Airport in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. At right members of the recovery team arc lowered to the crash site where rep. Mickey Leland s plane crashed. Recovery of bodies from Lelond plane proved grim ordeal by Ron Jensen Start writer Ramstein a. West Germany when buddy Horton saw the wreckage of the air plane in which .  Leland and i5 others died last month he realized two things. You could look at it an understand Why there were no survivors he said. The twin Otte carrying the party of the Texas Democrat to a refugee Camp was i pieces More than Halfway up a Mountain in Ethiopia. Equally Clear was that the recover of the bodies would be difficult said Horton. The chief of mortuary affair for the . Air forces in Europe. When i got out there i started getting concerned about How we re going to get Down there and get them out Horton a civilian said after returning from his 14-Day Mission. The plane crashed on a Cliff located 4,300 feet up the Side of a 5.500-Footmountain. The Mountainside sloped at an Angle of 80 degrees. The terrain was thick with Bamboo Trees and High grass. The weather was Chilly and Rainy. When the Job was done Horton would say it was the most difficult recovery he has encountered during his 13 years in the air Force. Horton was a member of a team of More than 40 people the first contingent of americans to reach Ethiopia when the congressman s plane was reported missing aug. 7. Before Midnight of the Day following the crash the plan Load of surgeons morticians Security police communications and audiovisual personnel and a Weatherman was Landing at Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia. When the team was first summoned the Only certainty was that the air plane was not where it was supposed to be. Said it. Col. David b. White commander of 377th support so at Ramstein a. Its whereabouts was a mystery and so was the Fate of the passengers and Crew. We took whatever we would need for whatever it turned out to be White said. The sad truth was discovered aug.13. Horton and his staff went to work the next Day lowered into the crash site from two Mh-60 helicopters from Elgin fab Fla. Horton had tried to reach the site on the Day the plane was discovered but bad weather forced the two helicopters carrying recovery personnel to land near a Village where 2,000 ethiopians lived in mud huts. At first the americans were unsure we took whatever we would need for whatever it turned out to  it. Col. David White of the reception they would receive. Infant. Morton s chopper dropped in once but look off when the villagers appeared hostile toward the intruders. Both copters landed minutes later and identified themselves. The ethiopian doctor that we had on one of the aircraft spoke very goo English Horton said. He told them we were  the ethiopians were overjoyed. They Shook their guests hands an hugged them. They built a fire for them and cooked Corn grown in the neigh Boring Fields. If they build a fire for you and fee you. You Are very special to  Horton said. And they did that for  Horton said he had heard much about Ethiopia and its drought during the past few years. But nothing pre pared him for this unexpected look at a Remote Village. It was a real Eye opener. I was shocked Horton said. The Homes had no electricity. The villagers wore no shoes. There was one Telephone to reach the outside world. The americans slept in their helicopters that night guarded by men from the Village. It was an experience i la never for get Horton said. Until you get Dow there and Sec How the people live you can t imagine  the helicopters returned the next Day to the crash site where Horton an others began the difficult task of pull ing bodies from the wreckage. It was right up against a Rock fac that went up 35 to 40 feet said sgt. Karl or Bachyn one of several 377thbilleting officers whose jobs include retrieving casual tics. The recovery team was lowered attic top level from the copters to the Mountainside As close As possible to the wreckage. We still had about 100 Yards Dow the Mountain to get to the crash site Horton said. The slope demanded that the team members Rappel those final Yards. Para jumpers from Raf Wood. Bridge England and Eglin already had been on the steeply sloping site. On the slope the Para jumpers who Are parachutists trained in search and recovery operations crisscrossed it with ropes. When the recovery team member arrived they attached themselves to the ropes As a precaution to keep from slip Ping Down the Mountain. Each one of us was paired with a Para jumper for safety said Al try Maine another 377th billeting officer. Trees and branches had to be re moved. Portions of the air plane were Cut away so the bodies could be pulled from the wreckage and placed aboard carriages lifted to the helicopters. The recovery was completed on the evening of the second Day and the Bod ies were carried to the Airfield at Addis Ababa where original plans were to Airlift the bodies to Torr Jon a Spain for identification and process ing. However the ethiopian government requested that no bodies leave the country until the identifications had been made. The americans established a mortuary in tents at the Airfield including two refrigerator trucks flown in from Ramstein and one from Ethiopia to begin the processing. Sixteen caskets were flown in from Dover England. The Job took five Days at the end of which the bodies were ready for burial. A ceremony was held at the Airfield and the bodies of the six ethiopians killed in the crash were turned Over to family members. We did it with dignity and we did it with care Tremaine said