Collette family offers World War II artifact to the Berman Museum

Jul. 27—At Cheaha State Park many visitors stand atop Bald Rock, but only a few know the remains of a World War II plane called the P-38 Lightning lie at the base of the popular lookout.

Curtis and Earlene Collette know, however, and want to honor the memory of the pilot who died in the cockpit of the single-seat twin-boom plane that was put into use during the war because of its speed and its four machine guns and cannon.

A veteran himself, Collette, 90, loves history and has saved several military and newspaper documents about the veteran whose plane crashed into Bald Rock on Tues., Jan. 4, 1944. His interest is centered on a machine gun which came from the site of the crash.

"I mentioned to my children that since I am 90 years old, I'd love to place the gun on display somewhere so other people can enjoy the history of it."

Recently, Collette learned more about the pilot through research and decided to donate the gun, with his family in full support.

The Collettes live only a couple of miles from Mt. Cheaha, and Earlene has a family story connected with the pilot's death. As it happened, two of her teen-aged brothers heard the crash and found the site a day later, according to an Anniston Star article dated Jan. 7, 1944. The story passed down through the years is that the two walked through the heavily forested area from their home on Salt Creek Falls and found, lying near a crashed plane, one of the four machine guns that had broken off upon impact. They picked it up and dragged it home.

By then, military officials were searching for the wreckage because the pilot's radio communications had been lost. It is likely that employees at Mt. Cheaha heard the crash and also searched for the site. It is not known if the teens' family contacted anyone about the crash, but it didn't take long for military and local officials to find the site and begin an investigation.

Meanwhile, the gun lay around for years, likely in a shed, until Earlene's father needed something to hold down the lid of a beehive. That's where Collette, who had begun dating Earlene, first saw the gun and heard the story. Later, the two married and eventually moved into her parents' house where they live today and where the gun was until Monday.

Collette's documents reveal the pilot's story.

Second Lt. Chester R. Gunkel, 24, of Milwaukee, Wis., was flying his plane from Love Field in Texas to Atlanta on that Monday, according to a military report dated Feb. 10. As he flew along his route, which crossed Calhoun County and parts of Cleburne County, something went wrong and he crashed.

According to The Star's coverage, Gunkel was flying as part of the Fifth Ferrying Group of the Eleventh Flying Squadron. According to the military report, the plane flew beneath a cloud ceiling of only 1,800 feet. Likely, the pilot could not see, nor did the plane possess the instrumentation that would let him know a 2,407-foot mountain was in front of him.

More information was recently found. The Milwaukee Public Library researched Gunkel's story and provided newspaper articles about two separate military funerals held in his memory. One of the obituaries showed a grainy photo of him in his pilot's helmet.

Further research led to a phone call with a family member, a great-nephew who said he had heard from family members, now deceased, about a great-uncle who had died in a plane crash in Alabama during World War II. He knew little beyond their words.

The gun from Gunkel's plane is now at the Berman Museum, Anniston's world-class museum dedicated to showcasing guns and weapons. Sabra Gossett, the Berman museum's registrar and manager of collections, accepted the machine gun from Collette Monday and carried it to the museum for evaluation.

The machine gun is not in good condition. Many of its internal parts are missing. The metal-covered barrel is bent, and rust dots the metal parts that were not torn off in the crash.

"At this time, we are assessing the piece," said Alan Robison, director of the museums, "and we are going through the procedure for potential acquisition."

The next step is to complete the cleaning process, evaluating its condition and making sure it is of no danger to any other artifacts the museum owns, according to Robison.

Collette said he hopes the donation memorializes a veteran who gave his life to his country. Not only did he serve his country, but also the two teens who found the gun grew up to serve in the U.S. military themselves.

"Another brother-in-law was wounded in the Korean War," Collette said, "and he'd never even talk about what all happened."