Floyd, Jimmie Lee

Jimmie Lee Floyd

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

US Army

Place of Birth:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Date of Birth:

June 30, 1936

Place of Death:

Stuttgart, Germany

Date of Death:

August 11, 1955

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

Jimmy Lee Floyd was born on June 30, 1936 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He enlisted at 16, serving as a Private First Class in the US Army.

Floyd was stationed in Germany when he took part in a training exercise meant to showcase air transport capabilities. He was in one of nine C-119’s that took off from Echterdingen Base. Fifteen minutes after the planes took off, one plane experienced difficulty with an engine and started to drop. It proceeded to regain altitude but hit another plane on its way up, causing a collision. The first plane instantly crashed to the ground, though the second plane was able to fly for around a minute before crashing.

One of the C-119’s crashed near the village of Edelweiler in a field while the other crashed in the woods close to Grömbach. All of the 66 men in the crash died, including Floyd. At the time, it was reportedly the third worst accident in the US Air Force.

Floyd is buried at Stones River National Cemetery in plot Q-6559.