BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Tuesday marked 38 years since Fort Campbell’s deadliest single incident tragedy. In 1985, a plane known as Arrow Air Flight 1285R crashed in Newfoundland on its way back to Fort Campbell.

A total of 248 soldiers and eight crew members were killed.

U.S. Army Veteran Paul Bartone said, “My initial reaction was shock, ‘What’s going on here?’ It was kind of hard to believe that such a large number of soldiers could be killed like that.”

The plane crashed on a trip back from the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt going toward Fort Campbell. The plane stopped in Gander, Newfoundland. As the plane was leaving Gander, investigators say the plane, which was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8, stalled and crashed just a half mile away from the runway.

A ceremony was held for the victims and their families. Warrant Officer Michael Cruz was at the event. His father had passed away during the plane crash.

On that day, Cruz was just a young boy attending his elementary school when suddenly, he and his brother were called to the office.

“I was like ‘Okay, what did we do? What did we do to get in trouble?’” Cruz recalled.

He and his brother were taken home by their neighbor, and saw a tragic scene once they arrived back.

Cruz said, “I was surprised to see all the neighbors surrounding the house. Some were crying. It was a sad moment.”

The boys were taken up to their room, where their neighbor had told them the news: their father was no longer with them.

“It was more of shock, disbelief. I didn’t know what to think,” Cruz said.

Everything after that remained a blur, Cruz shared.

This story, being one of hundreds. And this ceremony helps those who are still grieving by honoring the deadliest aviation accident that ever happened on Canadian grounds.