I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3584 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to relocate a memorial honoring 
the 9 Air Force crew members who lost their lives in an airplane 
crash in the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests during a training 
mission on August 31, 1982, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2025 
Mr. EDWARDS (for himself and Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to relocate a me-
morial honoring the 9 Air Force crew members who 
lost their lives in an airplane crash in the Cherokee 
and Nantahala National Forests during a training mis-
sion on August 31, 1982, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stratton Ridge Air 
Force Memorial Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. RELOCATION OF MEMORIAL HONORING THE 9 AIR 
FORCE CREW MEMBERS WHO LOST THEIR 
LIVES IN AN AIRPLANE CRASH DURING A 
TRAINING MISSION ON AUGUST 31, 1982. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With the consent of the owner of 
the private land adjacent to the Cherohala Skyway in the 
State of North Carolina on which there is located a memo-
rial honoring the 9 members of the Air Force crew of the 
C–141B transport plane that crashed during a training 
mission over the Cherokee and Nantahala National For-
ests on August 31, 1982 (referred to in this section as 
the ‘‘memorial’’), and subject to subsections (b) through 
(e), the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this sec-
tion as the ‘‘Secretary’’) may authorize, by special use au-
thorization, the installation, and any maintenance associ-
ated with the installation, of the memorial at an appro-
priate site at the Stratton Ridge rest area located at mile 
marker 2 on the Cherohala Skyway in Graham County, 
North Carolina, in the Nantahala National Forest. 
(b) SITE APPROVAL.—The site at which the memorial 
is installed under subsection (a) is subject to approval by 
the Secretary, in concurrence with— 
(1) the North Carolina Department of Trans-
portation; and 
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(2) if the site is located adjacent to a Federal- 
aid highway, the Administrator of the Federal High-
way Administration. 
(c) FUNDING.—No Federal funds may be used to re-
locate, install, or maintain the memorial under subsection 
(a). 
(d) COSTS.—The individual or entity requesting the 
installation of the memorial on National Forest System 
land under subsection (a) shall be responsible for the costs 
associated with the use of National Forest System land 
for the memorial, including the costs of— 
(1) processing the application for the relocation; 
(2) issuing a special use authorization for the 
memorial, including the costs associated with any re-
lated environmental analysis; and 
(3) relocating, installing, and maintaining the 
memorial. 
(e) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The special use au-
thorization for the installation of the memorial under sub-
section (a) may include any terms and conditions that are 
determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, including 
a provision preventing any enlargement or expansion of 
the memorial. 
Æ 
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