NOTE: PLEASE SEE NEW STAGING INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
The Patriot Guard Riders have been invited to attend the military honors of MSGT Edward J. Schnore at Los Angeles National Cemetery. It will our privilege to attend as he is laid to rest.
MSGT Edward J. Schnore was one of 52 service members onboard an Air Force C-124 Globemaster when it crashed into Knik Glacier (Mount Gannett) east of Anchorage, Alaska, on November 22, 1952, killing all service members on board. The flight came from McChord Air Force Base in Washington State. It was the third Air Force transport plane to crash or go missing in Alaska that month, and the sixth in the Pacific Rim. After the crash, military teams tried to go to the site, but bad weather always got in the way until it got buried in the snow and became part of the glacier.
According to Alaskan historian Doug Beckstead, when the plane went down the weather was brutal. The crew were flying blind, using their altimeter, a stopwatch, and a radio signal to find their way home. As they flew above the Chugach Mountains, only minutes away from landing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the massive C-124 Globemaster suffered a malfunction and began losing altitude. The reason even this is known, explained Casey Grove and Mike Dunham at Stars & Stripes, is because a nearby Northwest pilot deciphered a scratchy radio signal over his headset that said, “As long as we have to land, we might as well land here.” The plane plowed into the mountain at full speed and the bits of debris were covered by snow before it could be found. Aside from a splash of debris spotted by a squadron of searchers that was lost to the elements within days, nothing was heard from “Old Shaky’s” crew or passengers ever again until the wreckage was rediscovered in 2012.
On June 14, 2012, the Alaska National Groundsmen flying on a Blackhawk helicopter discovered a debris of an aircraft inside Colony glacier during a routine flight. The glacier is located 40 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska. Now, military investigators found that the wreckage from the plane found at the site correlates with the military plane crash in the 1950s.
MSGT Schnore was eventually accounted for and will finally be laid to rest.
NOTE: This mission posting is to facilitate your voluntary participation in honoring this military veteran. For those interested, and all PGR members are welcome, we will be a flag line only at the cemetery. Please see the timetable if you would like to participate.
TIMETABLE FOR FRIDAY, 01 AUGUST 2025
1200: Stage at new side of the Los Angeles National Cemetery area. Instead of turning right into LANC, turn left under the freeway from S Sepulveda Blvd onto Constitution Ave then take an an immediate right on the first street (winding). Columbariums will be on the right. Take the the road to the end, drive through the gate and park there.
1230: Mission briefing.
1300: Flag line and military honors.
Mission Coordinator:
Jack Bland
SoCal PGR Member
(310) 227-7492
You do not have to be a veteran or a motorcycle rider to attend this mission. All PGR members are welcome. We encourage those who do not ride to attend in your car. Dress for motorcycle riding or dress casually if you are driving a cage (car). Please ride/drive safely.
