Page 6B
The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.net
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
South Dakota crash - a year later
(Ed. Note- MSgt. Tracie
Rankin, niece of former Her-
ald staff writer Alan Hodge,
was with the Guardsmen
who had originally gone to
South Dakota to fight fires.
She has been assigned to one
of the survivors from Boiling
Springs of the CI30 that
crashed there last year
killing four crew members.
Hodge, now Editor of the
Herald's sister newspaper.
Banner-News, interviewed
Rankin who took part in the
dedication of the markers
honoring the aircrew of the
firefighting C130.)
By Alan Hodge
Alan.bannernews @gmail.com
When North Carolina Air
National Guard MSgt. Tracie
Rankin of Stanley went to
South Dakota recently to
take part in the dedication of
markers paying tribute to the
aircrew of a firefighting
C130 that crashed there last
year killing four crew mem-
bers, including Maj. Joe Mc-
Cormick of Belmont and
M/Sgt. Joseph Cannon who
has family in Kings Moun-
tain, and injuring two others,
including Sgt. Josh Marlowe
of Cleveland County, it was
like déja vu all over again.
A member . of the
NCANG 145th MAW based
at Charlotte-Douglas Inter-
national Airport, Rankin was’
with the group that had orig-
inally gone to South Dakota
on the firefighting mission.
“One year ago, on June 30th,
our unit was preparing to
leave for Colorado
Springs with two airplanes
equipped for fighting forest
fires and one airplane
to carry the support person-
nel from Maintenance, Oper-
ations and Logistics,”
Rankin said. “I was going on
the trip in a supply/logistics
role, to support the Mainte-
nance personnel with aircraft
parts if needed. Once we ar-
rived in Colorado Springs,
we were told the next day we
would move to Cheyenne,
Wyoming because the fires
were getting worse in that
area. On July 1, 2012 we
moved to Cheyenne and
MAFEFS 7 and 8 were flying
on some fires, on the
evening of July lst is when
MAFFS 7 went down in
South Dakota, killing four
airmen.
After receiving news of
the crash, I was ask to be-
come a FLO (Family Liaison
Officer) for one of our sur-
vivors and his family, so I
moved to South Dakota
on July 2nd and remained
there until the survivor was
able to be flown back
to Charlotte.”
The survivor and family
that Rankin was assigned to
is Josh Marlowe from Boil-
ing Springs.
Over the past year since
the crash, an effort by Custer
County Chronicle publisher
Charles Najacht as well as
US Forest Service and Na-
tional Guard folks saw the
construction of two informa-
tional and commemorative
markers near the C130 crash
site explaining what hap-
pened and featuring images
of the crewmen who were
killed. The markers were
dedicated on July 1 with a
solemn ceremony. Rankin
made the trip back to where
she had been last year.
“The last time I was in
South Dakota were the days
following the crash, spend-
ing several days at the Rapid
City hospital where our two
survivors were taken to re-
cover to the point where they
could be returned to North
Carolina,” she said. “There
were so many people who
helped with anything we
needed, from making hotel
reservations, driving fami-
lies around, food deliveries,
and being there ‘justin case’,
it was absolutely amazing.
So going back to South
Dakota a year later was an .
emotional trip, the visit to
the crash site was a very
somber experience, a few of
the families were there visit-
ing the site as well, when we
hiked the almost five miles
round trip. A few Forest
Service and military person-
nel were there to explain
what they saw and experi-
enced a year earlier, we were
able to see the markers, trees
and ravine where the plane
came to rest. It was almost
overwhelming at times. On
1 July the families of those
able to attend and the group
from Charlotte joined the
South Dakota Forest Serv-
ice, National Guard,
Ellsworth AFB military per-
sonnel and local politicians
to witness the unveiling of
the roadside interpretive site
that displays the MAFES 7
mission and the pictures of
those who were killed. The
service at the Forest Service
Interpretive Site was a won-
derful tribute to the sacrifice
of the men who were killed
“and to the survivors as well.
The ceremony gave thanks
and praise to both states for
their role in the firefighting
and the support to those in
the aftermath.”
Though the trip back to
the tragic scene of a year ago
was trying, Rankin is glad
she did it.
“I am thankful I was able
to make the trip to South
Dakota to visit the crash site
and the roadside memorial
service,” she said. “There is
rarely a day that goes by that
something doesn’t remind
me of the tragedy one year
ago, I do miss so much the
friends I lost in the crash. I
keep the families and friends
of those affected by MAFFS
7 in my prayers and hope
each passing day helps in
their healing process. I am
very thankful for our two
survivors, prayers also go
out to them as they continue
to heal and recover from
their injuries.”
MSgt. Tracie Rankin.
last year in South Dakota fightin
* Rankin and others hiked five miles:
to the aircrew that were killed or a ed in
Dear Savvy Senior,
“What are my options for choosing
an executor for my will? I was con-'
‘sidering asking one of my kids to do
it but I don’t think any of them are up
for the job. What can you tell me?
Still Kicking
Dear Kicking,
Choosing an executor — the person
or institution you put in charge of ad-
ministering your estate and carrying
out your final wishes — is one of the
most important decisions in preparing
a will.
Picking the right executor can help
ensure the prompt, accurate distribu-
tion of your possessions with a mini-
mum of family friction. Some of the
duties required include:
« Filing court papers to start the pro-
bate process (this is generally re-
quired by law to determine the will’s
validity).
Taking an inventory of everything
in the estate.
» Using your estate’s funds to pay
bills, including taxes, funeral costs,
etc.
» Handling details like terminating
credit cards, and notifying banks and
government agencies like Social Se-
curity and the post office of the death.
Preparing and filing final income
tax returns.
+ Distributing assets to the benefici-
aries named in the will.
Given all the responsibility, the
ideal candidate should be someone
who is honest, dependable, well or-
ganized, good with paperwork and
vigilant about meeting deadlines.
Who to Choose
Most people think first of naming
a family member, especially a spouse
or child, as executor. If, however, you
don’t have an obvious family mem-
ber to choose, you may want to ask a
trusted friend, but be sure to choose
someone in good health or younger
than you who will likely be around
after you’re gone.
Also, if your executor of choice
happens to live in another state,
you’ll need to check your state’s law
to see if it imposes any special re-
quirements. Some states require an
out-of-state executor to be a family
member or a beneficiary, some re-
quire a bond to protect your heirs in
uk
By JIM MILLER
Editor
case of mismanagement, and some
require the appointment of an in-state
agent.
Also keep in mind that if the per-
son you choose needs help settling
your estate they can always call on an
expert like an attorney or tax account
to guide them through the process,
with your estate picking up the cost.
If, however, you don’t have a
friend or relative you feel comfort-
able with, you could name a third
party executor like a bank, trust com-
pany or a professional who has expe-
rience dealing with estates. If you
need help locating a pro, the National
Association of Estate Planners and
Councils (naepc.org) and the Na-
tional Academy of Elder Law Attor-
neys (naela.org) are great resources
that provide directories on their web-
sites to help you find someone.
Executor Fees
Most family members and close
friends (especially if they are a bene-
ficiary) serve for free, but if you opt
for a third party executor it will cost
your estate. Executor fees are set by
each state and typically run anywhere
Power Lift
THEY DESERVE THE BEST
How to Choose the Right Executor for Your Will
from 1 to 5 percent depending « on the
size of the estate.
Get Approval
Whoever you choose to serve as
your executor, be sure you get their
approval first before naming him or
her in your will. And once you've
made your choice, go over your fi-
nancial details in your will with that
person, and let him or her know
where you keep all your important
documents and financial information.
This will make it easier on them after
you're gone.
For more information on the duties
of an executor, get a copy of the book
“The American Bar Association
Guide to Wills and Estates” fourth
edition for $17 at ambar.org/wills or
call 800-285-2221.
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Nor- .
man, OK 73070, or visit SavvySe-
nior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC Today show and author of
“The Savvy Senior” book.
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