$140,000 U.S. MILITARY AID FOR SASNASHEN KINDERGARTEN

Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am
Sept 2 2009
Armenia

Today, September 2, is the 51st anniversary of a tragic flight and
crash of a U.S. Air Force C-130 aircraft in the village of Nerkin
Sasnashen and also marks the beginning of a renewed relationship
between the village and the people of the United States.

U.S. Embassy in Armenia reports that after a ceremony commemorating the
extraordinary events of over 50 years ago, Defense Attache Lieutenant
Colonel Robert Webster announced that the village will receive
approximately $140,000 USD to repair and refurbish the kindergarten
and complete landscaping of the grounds. He stated: "Completion of
this Office of Defense Cooperation repair project will help show our
appreciation to the villagers who have continued to bring honor to
the memory of those servicemen who perished here in the line of duty
over 50 years ago." Additionally, members of the embassy community
collected and presented 80 backpacks with schools supplies for the
children to use when they return to kindergarten early next year.

On September 2, 1958, a United States Air Force
reconnaissance-configured C-130, with 17 airmen inside, was shot down
over the airspace of Soviet Armenia. The airplane crashed approximately
200 meters north of the village of Nerkin Sasnashen, killing all 17
airmen on board. In 1993, the people of Sasnashen erected a monument
to the fallen airmen. Since that time, the villagers commemorate the
site on the anniversary of the crash to honor those who sacrificed
their lives in service to their country.

The U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation in Armenia works to foster
U.S. government and industry assistance to Armenia in the defense
sphere. The office operates under the authority of the U.S. Chief
of Mission in Armenia and the U.S. European Command, located in
Stuttgart, Germany.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress