FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- (Nov. 24, 2015) Theodore Travis Sr. and his wife Cynthia were high school sweethearts who fell in love in 1973. About 10 years later, Theodore wanted to do what was best for his Family. Jobs were slim at the time in Niagara Falls, New York, so he transitioned to life as an active-duty Soldier after serving in the Army Reserves.
He became a 101st Airborne Division infantryman -- a Screaming Eagle. Stationed at Fort Campbell, Theodore soon deployed as a sergeant in support of the Multinational Force and Observers, meant to help ensure the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. Thirty years ago next month, Theodore Sr. boarded a plane to come home -- just in time for Christmas -- with 248 other Soldiers.
The 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Soldiers were aboard Arrow Air Flight 1285. The commercial airliner stopped to refuel at Gander, Newfoundland, Dec. 12, 1985. As Theodore neared the U.S. with his fellow "Strike" Soldiers, he planned to reunite with his wife, and young children, 7-year-old Theodore Jr. and 2-year-old Stefan. While Cynthia stayed in Niagara Falls to care for her ailing mother when her husband joined the service, plans were in place for the Family to move to Fort Campbell upon Theodore's return from the Sinai Peninsula. The Family would finally be reunited full-time for the first time in several years. Unfortunately, this dream was not to be.
The plane crashed upon takeoff, killing all Soldiers and crew members on board. The incident is remembered as one of the worst air accidents in U.S. military history.
Even now, the Travis Family finds it hard to fully move past what happened that December morning. Cynthia never remarried, and she had just one boyfriend in the 30 years since the crash. She still lives in Niagara Falls, and at 60, she is just two years away from retiring from her job as a fourth-grade teacher.
"You never get over it … It was hard," Cynthia said. "It's even hard now …"
Theodore's remains were some of the last to be identified, which pushed his funeral to February 1986. It was a difficult time for the Family, especially Theodore "Ted" Jr. He vividly remembers his aunt picking him up from school Dec. 12, fully expecting to head to the airport to pick up his Dad. Instead, he was taken home where his grandmother -- Theodore Sr.'s mother -- delivered the news of his father's death.
"I understood, but I didn't really understand the full impact of it until maybe a few years later," he said.
Ted said he remembers people telling him he would have to be the man of the house, and the looks from people who knew him just because of the news reports. It was an isolating time, he said, despite the amount of support the Family received.
"I carried that burden with me until now," he said. "It was tough."
The crash saddled Ted with a fear of flying he only recently overcame, when he boarded a flight for the first time from New York City to Buffalo in September. Cynthia has only flown a handful of times as well, while Stefan has yet to fly.
"It was like the biggest relief," Ted said, of the trip he took with his best friend. "I was terrified of planes, even when they [flew] over me. The whole flying thing was pretty tough for me. I did it, so hopefully I can continue on doing it."
Ted spoke fondly of the father he called a protector. He still holds onto memories, such as the kid-sized Army uniform his father sent from Kentucky so many years ago.
"I used to wear it every day," Ted recalled. "I still got it to this day."
The Family is planning a 30th anniversary memorial service at New Hope Baptist Church in Niagara Falls, Dec. 12. While they traveled to Fort Campbell for remembrances in the early years after the crash, this personalized memorial is a first. Friends and Family will gather to honor the man known for his impact on the community and the nation.
"This [memorial] has been something I've been wanting to do for a long time," Ted said.
Cynthia said she began thinking about a way to honor her husband, Dec. 12, 2014, after a coincidence of sorts. A boy in her class came in late, and he came up to Cynthia's desk to turn in his tardy slip.
"On the back of the sweatshirt was the 101st Airborne," Cynthia remembered. "It was about 9:10 in the morning … the same feeling came over me that day [in 1985] when I received the phone call at work because I got the phone call at about 9:10, 9:15 that morning."
She felt an instant connection to the boy whose father had deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and she took it as a gentle reminder from Theodore Sr. about his service and sacrifice.
"… he wants to be remembered and we haven't done enough to remember him and to make other people remember," she said. "We're just trying to do things to remember him. We don't want to forget. We don't think he wants to be forgotten."
Cynthia said Theodore Sr. planned to return to the Sinai for another six-month tour. He exemplified the "Band of Brothers" mentality, as he considered his fellow Soldiers Family. Cynthia experienced this Screaming Eagles bond firsthand when Soldiers were sent to help her after the crash.
"There was nothing that he would not give," she said of Theodore Sr. "He was just a giving person, and that's what I try to teach my kids."
Ted, 37, now works in promotions and marketing. It is a happy life, but at the same time, incomplete. The loss of his father left an unfathomable void, but Ted clings to the memories of a man known for his selflessness.
"He would give a person the shirt off his back," Ted said. "He was that type of person. If you needed him, he was there. No questions asked."
Editor's Note: This article is the first in a series leading up to the 30th anniversary of the Gander tragedy in December.
Related Links:
Former Soldiers, Courier journalists remember Gander victim
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In memoriam: Families, friends, veterans gather to honor Gander fallen
Journey of healing: Anniversary of tragedy brings Soldiers, Families solace
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