BESTE-ELEANOR

The Korean War commenced on June 25, 1950, and as casualties mounted the need of medical personnel to administer to the wounded became apparent.  In September 1950, a four-engine Douglas R5D Skymaster passenger plane assigned to Fleet Tactical Support Squadron Twenty-One (VR-21) departed the West Coast en-route to Japan.  Aboard the plane were 26 naval personnel, including 11 Navy nurses who were bound for duty at the Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan.  The plane made three refueling stops, the final being at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  In the early morning hours of September 19, 1950, the plane departed Kwajalein but less than a minute later it crashed and exploded offshore.  The cause of the accident was not determined but it is speculated that the night takeoff with no moon or moonlight may have been a contributing factor.  A rescue party arrived at the scene within minutes but found only four bodies and a few personal possessions.  There were no survivors, and the accident marked the largest single loss of Navy nurses in the history of the Navy and was one of the greatest tragedies ever to befall the Navy Medical Department.

Unfortunately, Ensign Eleanor Clara Beste was one of the casualties and her body was never found.  She was born on February 20, 1925 in Freeport, Minnesota, and graduated from Providence Hospital School of Nursing in 1946 before joining the Navy Nurse Corps on July 1, 1947.  She served at the Naval Hospital, Bremerton, Washington, and was one of the five nurses from there being reassigned to Japan.  Ens Beste, who wanted to become a doctor, became well-known in Bremerton for her many interests and popularity while in this assignment.  She attended a local college by day and worked evenings at the hospital.  In addition, she studied foreign languages though correspondence courses.  Following her death, her family, with the assistance of the local VFW Post, created a cenotaph memorial marker for her at Sacred Heart Cemetery in her hometown of Freeport.

                         

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)