2007 Grand Canyon History Symposium John S. Azar Azar's interest in Grand Canyon began with his first extended hike below the rim in 1985. Since that first hike, he has completed an additional 63 overnight backpacking trips into the Canyon. Azar's interest in Grand Canyon history was prompted by Harvey Butchart when he invited Azar to join the Grand Canyon Pioneers Society in 1989. Dr. Butchart and Azar had been exchanging letters on the various historical aspects he had become interested in on his hikes. Azar has been a member of GCHS (formally Grand Canyon Pioneers Society) since joining at that time. He began offering his time restoring historic cabins in the Grand Canyon region in 1993. Since that time, he has been involved with the restoration of 7 cabins and plans on continuing his efforts to repair all existing structures in the region. Azar was a presenter at the first Grand Canyon History Symposium and a volunteer in that effort to bring the historical evidence to the general public. He is involved with the second history symposium and hopes it will be as successful as the first one. Presentation Abstract... Saving the Army Fliers. The Story of the 1944 Parachutists:   In June of 1944, an Army Air Corps B-24 Bomber lifted off from the runway at the Army Air Strip near Tonopah, Nevada. The 5-man flight crew was on a training mission, scheduled to land at a southern Arizona airbase. Just after midnight above Prescott, Arizona, one of the engines stalled. After an attempt at reviving the engine, the pilot ordered 3 members of the crew to bail out. At an elevation of 12,000 feet above sea level, the flight engineer, navigator, and bombardier dropped into the moonless night. With high winds blowing them north, they were carried into a landing within Grand Canyon National Park. This presentation would chronicle the efforts made to rescue these men.