Douglas is buried in the same plot as his parents. His mother died when he was 9 and his father nine months later.
The Oregonian - July 18, 1987 - page B 1
Crash in El Salvador
By Michael Rollins
of The Oregonian staff
A Corvallis man described as "a real evangelistic person with a real warm heart" was one of six U.S. servicemen killed Wednesday in El Salvador in the crash of a U.S. Army helicopter.
Douglas L. Adams, 22, stepson of Ingrid Adams, was a 1983 graduate of Corvallis High School. He also had attended Santiam Christian High School in Corvallis for two years and attended Kings Circle Assembly of God Church.
The Associated Press reported that the six crash victims were on a mission to aid a wounded U.S. military adviser in eastern El Salvador late Wednesday. Their Huey UH-1H helicopter crashed against a cliff in a rainstorm about 10 miles east of the capital city.
Twelve U.S. servicemen have now died in El Salvador since 1979, when fighting began between the U.S. backed government and leftist guerrillas.
Adams, a specialist fourth class, was the crew chief on the helicopter. He was responsible for assisting the pilots with routine maintenance and with passengers and patients on the medical evacuation helicopter.
The bodies of the crash victims were flown to an Army mortuary in Panama after a private service attended by Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte. Memorial services in Corvallis are pending.
Ingrid Adams said Douglas had traveled throughout the United States and Europe with the U.S. Army. This gave him "a new love for his country and in particular Oregon. When he came home his favorite things to do were to cut firewood and to go fishing.
"It's not like he's always been a neat and wonderful person." she said. "but he really found himself in the Army. He loved what he was doing. He loved helicopters and working on them.."
Penny Smith, a close family friend, said Douglas Adams had had a tragic childhood. His mother died when he was 9, and a year later, his father died.
"It's a family that has had a lot of loss," Smith said. Adams was outgoing, but a part of him was always reserved because of the early tragedies in his life, she said.
Steve Williams, director of youth ministries at Kings Circle church, said Adams had returned for a visit about three weeks ago.
Adams said then that he was being sent to El Salvador "and he kind of raised his eyebrows and got a smirk on his face," Williams said. Adams said he realized it was a dangerous area but said, "I think it will be all right."
He planned to move to Portland to attend college and work for a helicopter business, she said. Ingrid Adams also said he had wanted to join the National Guard and eventually become a pilot.
"He called here, and I knew he was really scared to go," Smith said. "He tried to assure me his walk with God was secure; it was like he was preparing himself in case he didn't come back."
Ingrid Adams said Douglas initially was frightened but was looking forward to his new assignment. Adams was "very patriotic and had a lot of faith in Ronald Reagan," Smith said. While frightened with the prospect of going to El Salvador, he felt it was the right thing to do, Smith said.
Bill Ford, acting principal at Santiam Christian High School, said Adams played high school football there. He said Adams was a warm hearted person, "a good student with above-average grades."
Adams is also survived by his sister, Tonia Waren of Newport; his brother, Craig Adams of Newport; and his grandparents, Anna Larson of Oak Grove, Louis Larson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bill Wilma Okerstedt of Corvallis.
He will be interred in Willamette National Cemetery with his parents, Kenneth and Ardeth Adams.
Among the other victims of the crash was Air Force Lt. Col. James M. Basil, 43, the deputy commander of the U.S. Military Group attached to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. The other victims, all Army personnel were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Lynn Keen, 27, a medic; 1st Lt. Gregory J. Paredes, 24, a pilot; Chief Warrant Officer, John D. Raybon, 29, co-pilot; and Lt. Col. Joseph L. Lujan, 41.
Typed as it appeared in the newspaper.
The Oregonian - July 18, 1987 - page B 1
Crash in El Salvador
By Michael Rollins
of The Oregonian staff
A Corvallis man described as "a real evangelistic person with a real warm heart" was one of six U.S. servicemen killed Wednesday in El Salvador in the crash of a U.S. Army helicopter.
Douglas L. Adams, 22, stepson of Ingrid Adams, was a 1983 graduate of Corvallis High School. He also had attended Santiam Christian High School in Corvallis for two years and attended Kings Circle Assembly of God Church.
The Associated Press reported that the six crash victims were on a mission to aid a wounded U.S. military adviser in eastern El Salvador late Wednesday. Their Huey UH-1H helicopter crashed against a cliff in a rainstorm about 10 miles east of the capital city.
Twelve U.S. servicemen have now died in El Salvador since 1979, when fighting began between the U.S. backed government and leftist guerrillas.
Adams, a specialist fourth class, was the crew chief on the helicopter. He was responsible for assisting the pilots with routine maintenance and with passengers and patients on the medical evacuation helicopter.
The bodies of the crash victims were flown to an Army mortuary in Panama after a private service attended by Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte. Memorial services in Corvallis are pending.
Ingrid Adams said Douglas had traveled throughout the United States and Europe with the U.S. Army. This gave him "a new love for his country and in particular Oregon. When he came home his favorite things to do were to cut firewood and to go fishing.
"It's not like he's always been a neat and wonderful person." she said. "but he really found himself in the Army. He loved what he was doing. He loved helicopters and working on them.."
Penny Smith, a close family friend, said Douglas Adams had had a tragic childhood. His mother died when he was 9, and a year later, his father died.
"It's a family that has had a lot of loss," Smith said. Adams was outgoing, but a part of him was always reserved because of the early tragedies in his life, she said.
Steve Williams, director of youth ministries at Kings Circle church, said Adams had returned for a visit about three weeks ago.
Adams said then that he was being sent to El Salvador "and he kind of raised his eyebrows and got a smirk on his face," Williams said. Adams said he realized it was a dangerous area but said, "I think it will be all right."
He planned to move to Portland to attend college and work for a helicopter business, she said. Ingrid Adams also said he had wanted to join the National Guard and eventually become a pilot.
"He called here, and I knew he was really scared to go," Smith said. "He tried to assure me his walk with God was secure; it was like he was preparing himself in case he didn't come back."
Ingrid Adams said Douglas initially was frightened but was looking forward to his new assignment. Adams was "very patriotic and had a lot of faith in Ronald Reagan," Smith said. While frightened with the prospect of going to El Salvador, he felt it was the right thing to do, Smith said.
Bill Ford, acting principal at Santiam Christian High School, said Adams played high school football there. He said Adams was a warm hearted person, "a good student with above-average grades."
Adams is also survived by his sister, Tonia Waren of Newport; his brother, Craig Adams of Newport; and his grandparents, Anna Larson of Oak Grove, Louis Larson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bill Wilma Okerstedt of Corvallis.
He will be interred in Willamette National Cemetery with his parents, Kenneth and Ardeth Adams.
Among the other victims of the crash was Air Force Lt. Col. James M. Basil, 43, the deputy commander of the U.S. Military Group attached to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. The other victims, all Army personnel were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Lynn Keen, 27, a medic; 1st Lt. Gregory J. Paredes, 24, a pilot; Chief Warrant Officer, John D. Raybon, 29, co-pilot; and Lt. Col. Joseph L. Lujan, 41.
Typed as it appeared in the newspaper.
Douglas is buried in the same plot as his parents. His mother died when he was 9 and his father nine months later.
The Oregonian - July 18, 1987 - page B 1
Crash in El Salvador
By Michael Rollins
of The Oregonian staff
A Corvallis man described as "a real evangelistic person with a real warm heart" was one of six U.S. servicemen killed Wednesday in El Salvador in the crash of a U.S. Army helicopter.
Douglas L. Adams, 22, stepson of Ingrid Adams, was a 1983 graduate of Corvallis High School. He also had attended Santiam Christian High School in Corvallis for two years and attended Kings Circle Assembly of God Church.
The Associated Press reported that the six crash victims were on a mission to aid a wounded U.S. military adviser in eastern El Salvador late Wednesday. Their Huey UH-1H helicopter crashed against a cliff in a rainstorm about 10 miles east of the capital city.
Twelve U.S. servicemen have now died in El Salvador since 1979, when fighting began between the U.S. backed government and leftist guerrillas.
Adams, a specialist fourth class, was the crew chief on the helicopter. He was responsible for assisting the pilots with routine maintenance and with passengers and patients on the medical evacuation helicopter.
The bodies of the crash victims were flown to an Army mortuary in Panama after a private service attended by Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte. Memorial services in Corvallis are pending.
Ingrid Adams said Douglas had traveled throughout the United States and Europe with the U.S. Army. This gave him "a new love for his country and in particular Oregon. When he came home his favorite things to do were to cut firewood and to go fishing.
"It's not like he's always been a neat and wonderful person." she said. "but he really found himself in the Army. He loved what he was doing. He loved helicopters and working on them.."
Penny Smith, a close family friend, said Douglas Adams had had a tragic childhood. His mother died when he was 9, and a year later, his father died.
"It's a family that has had a lot of loss," Smith said. Adams was outgoing, but a part of him was always reserved because of the early tragedies in his life, she said.
Steve Williams, director of youth ministries at Kings Circle church, said Adams had returned for a visit about three weeks ago.
Adams said then that he was being sent to El Salvador "and he kind of raised his eyebrows and got a smirk on his face," Williams said. Adams said he realized it was a dangerous area but said, "I think it will be all right."
He planned to move to Portland to attend college and work for a helicopter business, she said. Ingrid Adams also said he had wanted to join the National Guard and eventually become a pilot.
"He called here, and I knew he was really scared to go," Smith said. "He tried to assure me his walk with God was secure; it was like he was preparing himself in case he didn't come back."
Ingrid Adams said Douglas initially was frightened but was looking forward to his new assignment. Adams was "very patriotic and had a lot of faith in Ronald Reagan," Smith said. While frightened with the prospect of going to El Salvador, he felt it was the right thing to do, Smith said.
Bill Ford, acting principal at Santiam Christian High School, said Adams played high school football there. He said Adams was a warm hearted person, "a good student with above-average grades."
Adams is also survived by his sister, Tonia Waren of Newport; his brother, Craig Adams of Newport; and his grandparents, Anna Larson of Oak Grove, Louis Larson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bill Wilma Okerstedt of Corvallis.
He will be interred in Willamette National Cemetery with his parents, Kenneth and Ardeth Adams.
Among the other victims of the crash was Air Force Lt. Col. James M. Basil, 43, the deputy commander of the U.S. Military Group attached to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. The other victims, all Army personnel were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Lynn Keen, 27, a medic; 1st Lt. Gregory J. Paredes, 24, a pilot; Chief Warrant Officer, John D. Raybon, 29, co-pilot; and Lt. Col. Joseph L. Lujan, 41.
Typed as it appeared in the newspaper.
The Oregonian - July 18, 1987 - page B 1
Crash in El Salvador
By Michael Rollins
of The Oregonian staff
A Corvallis man described as "a real evangelistic person with a real warm heart" was one of six U.S. servicemen killed Wednesday in El Salvador in the crash of a U.S. Army helicopter.
Douglas L. Adams, 22, stepson of Ingrid Adams, was a 1983 graduate of Corvallis High School. He also had attended Santiam Christian High School in Corvallis for two years and attended Kings Circle Assembly of God Church.
The Associated Press reported that the six crash victims were on a mission to aid a wounded U.S. military adviser in eastern El Salvador late Wednesday. Their Huey UH-1H helicopter crashed against a cliff in a rainstorm about 10 miles east of the capital city.
Twelve U.S. servicemen have now died in El Salvador since 1979, when fighting began between the U.S. backed government and leftist guerrillas.
Adams, a specialist fourth class, was the crew chief on the helicopter. He was responsible for assisting the pilots with routine maintenance and with passengers and patients on the medical evacuation helicopter.
The bodies of the crash victims were flown to an Army mortuary in Panama after a private service attended by Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte. Memorial services in Corvallis are pending.
Ingrid Adams said Douglas had traveled throughout the United States and Europe with the U.S. Army. This gave him "a new love for his country and in particular Oregon. When he came home his favorite things to do were to cut firewood and to go fishing.
"It's not like he's always been a neat and wonderful person." she said. "but he really found himself in the Army. He loved what he was doing. He loved helicopters and working on them.."
Penny Smith, a close family friend, said Douglas Adams had had a tragic childhood. His mother died when he was 9, and a year later, his father died.
"It's a family that has had a lot of loss," Smith said. Adams was outgoing, but a part of him was always reserved because of the early tragedies in his life, she said.
Steve Williams, director of youth ministries at Kings Circle church, said Adams had returned for a visit about three weeks ago.
Adams said then that he was being sent to El Salvador "and he kind of raised his eyebrows and got a smirk on his face," Williams said. Adams said he realized it was a dangerous area but said, "I think it will be all right."
He planned to move to Portland to attend college and work for a helicopter business, she said. Ingrid Adams also said he had wanted to join the National Guard and eventually become a pilot.
"He called here, and I knew he was really scared to go," Smith said. "He tried to assure me his walk with God was secure; it was like he was preparing himself in case he didn't come back."
Ingrid Adams said Douglas initially was frightened but was looking forward to his new assignment. Adams was "very patriotic and had a lot of faith in Ronald Reagan," Smith said. While frightened with the prospect of going to El Salvador, he felt it was the right thing to do, Smith said.
Bill Ford, acting principal at Santiam Christian High School, said Adams played high school football there. He said Adams was a warm hearted person, "a good student with above-average grades."
Adams is also survived by his sister, Tonia Waren of Newport; his brother, Craig Adams of Newport; and his grandparents, Anna Larson of Oak Grove, Louis Larson of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Bill Wilma Okerstedt of Corvallis.
He will be interred in Willamette National Cemetery with his parents, Kenneth and Ardeth Adams.
Among the other victims of the crash was Air Force Lt. Col. James M. Basil, 43, the deputy commander of the U.S. Military Group attached to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. The other victims, all Army personnel were identified as Sgt. 1st Class Lynn Keen, 27, a medic; 1st Lt. Gregory J. Paredes, 24, a pilot; Chief Warrant Officer, John D. Raybon, 29, co-pilot; and Lt. Col. Joseph L. Lujan, 41.
Typed as it appeared in the newspaper.
Inscription
SP 4 US Army
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
