Private Richard Paquette Trego

East HS Graduation Photo donated by Charlotte Trego

World War II US Marine Corps Assigned to Prisoner of War and Military Police Detachment, Headquarters USMC Service Number: 638066 Born: June 21, 1928 - Greeley Inducted: September 26, 1946 - Denver Died: December 10, 1946 in plane crash on Mt. Rainier, Washington. Remains not recovered. Memorial Marker at Mt. Rainier Park

Son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Trego of Denver. Richard Trego attended school in Yuma while his father was Yuma school superintendent.

Memorial Marker in Enumclaw, Washington Veteran's Memorial Park

The Enumclaw marker is a replica of the original marker erected near the site of the crash in Mt. Rainier Park.

Yuma Pioneer - December 19, 1946

Richard Trego On Ill-Fated Plane

People of this community were grieved to learn that Richard Trego, 18, was a passenger on the plane carrying 32 Marines, that crashed on Mt. Rainier in Washington several days ago. Because of deep snow and the rugged terrain of the country, searching parties have not yet been able to reach the place where the plane is believed to have crashed. Richard is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest R. Trego of Denver, and the family formerly lived in Yuma when Mr. Trego was superintendent of the Yuma Schools.

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Yuma Pioneer - July 31, 1947

Wreckage of Marine Plane Found Friday.

Richard Trego Was a Marine on Transport Which Crashed into Mt. Rainier in December.

Wreckage of the ill-fated marine transport plane, which crashed on Mount Rainier on December 10, 1946, was found Friday by two mountain climbers. One of the Marines on the plane was Private Richard P. Trego, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Trego, former Yuma residents. Richard was a student in the Yuma schools while his father was superintendent of schools here. The following story is taken from Saturday's Rocky Mountain News and reference to the Denver boy concerns Richard.

"A glacier crevasse high on the slopes of Mount Rainier will be the eternal tomb for two Colorado Marines, one of them a Denver youth and the other from Fort Collins.

"This was disclosed last night when two mountain climbers radioed from a camp nearly two miles high on the mountain that they had found the crash scene of a marine transport plane which disappeared last December 10.

"Among the passengers on the long-missing plane were Pvts. Richard P. Trego, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest E. Trego, 735 Albion St., and Eldon Todd, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. C.M. Todd of Fort Collins.

"Discovery of one victim's personnel record and a battered piece of uniform on the South Tahoma Glacier definitely identified the crash scene, press dispatches said.

"Captain A.O. Rule, commanding officer of the Sand Point Naval Air Station and director of the eight month search for the plane, said it was unlikely any of the bodies would be recovered.

"Bill Butler, assistant chief national park ranger at Mount Rainier, told the United Press the plane apparently had crashed blindly into the side of the 3000 ft. cliff.

"It practically disintegrated from the looks of things up there," he said. "The force of the crash probably spilled bodies in all directions, hurling them down the deep crevasses at the base of the glacier.

"When you go down a crevasse, you're there for good."

"The twin-engined plane vanished on a flight from San Diego to Seattle. It's wreckage had been sought continuously during the intervening months by scores of search parties, pressed on by a $5000 reward posted by parents of youths aboard the ship.

"The Denver boy was a graduate of East High School. He had just completed his "boot" training as a Marine at San Diego and was bound for his duty station. He enlisted last September 25.

"Surviving, in addition to his parents, is a sister, Charlotte, also an East High School student.

"The boy's father said last night he had received news of the finding of the crashed plane in a telephone call from Captain Rule.

"We don't anticipate that Richard's body will be found," he said.

(Pioneer clippings provided by Arlene Glenn)

Roster of Marines on board R5C 39528 December 10, 1946 for the San Diego to Seattle flight.

Note: This list is alphabetical but the Memorial Rocks are not. They are by rank; Officers first, Non-Commissioned Officers second, Privates last by seniority.

Transcription provided by: Jack E. Warren, Judge Advocate, Marine Corps League, Department of Washington, June 26, 2002

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