The Associated Press

Two women embrace after laying a flower on a memorial for victims of Comair Flight 3272. | ZOOM |

LASALLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - The scars in the Monroe County field where Comair Flight 3272 crashed this winter have been mostly healed by the spring. But there's still a gash in the dirt, where the ground is contaminated with fuel and oil, where nothing grows.

The scars on the family and friends of the 29 victims run much deeper, and will take more than a few months to wash away. On Sunday, many of those people gathered for the first time to dedicate a memorial to their loved ones.

About 240 relatives and loved ones came to the ceremony here at Roselawn Memorial Park, 12 miles southwest of the crash site. A bronze plaque was dedicated to "our family and friends who perished in the air tragedy of January 1997."

Jim and Ruth Ogden came to Michigan from Fort Thomas for the first time since the crash. They wore small plastic badges with a picture of their daughter, Darinda Ogden. She was a flight attendant on the Cincinnati-Detroit route.

"I wanted to share in it and meet a lot of family members we hadn't met," Mr. Ogden said. "When it happened, we were just too distressed to come."

The ceremony included prayers from three faiths, a seven-gun salute and the reading of a letter from President Clinton.

The memorial was organized by Monroe County officials at the request of the relatives. The cost of the plaque and travel arrangements for the families were paid for by Comair.

The turboprop Embraer 120 crashed on a snowy evening Jan. 9. before it reached Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Ice on the wings is a possible factor. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered ice detectors installed on similar airplanes.

The National Transportation Safety Board has yet to issue its findings on the cause of the crash.

COMPLETE CRASH COVERAGE
PROFILES OF VICTIMS

Victims

First Officer
Kenneth Reece
Fort Wright, Ky.

Flight Attendant
Darinda Ogden Nilsen
Lexington, Ky.

PASSENGERS
Adams, Dexter
Cincinnati

Barrow, Gregory
Detroit

Bransford, Roger
Sandy Springs, Ga.

Brice, Arthur
Brookhaven, Miss.

Brownlee, Christine
Helena, Mont.

Brownlee, Scott
Helena, Mont.

Davis, Geoffrey
Detroit.

DeMarco, Maureen
Englewood, Colo.

Douchard, Greg
Wesson, Miss.

Felteau, Leo
Atlanta

Herman, Mark
Novi, Mich.

Jones, Betty Jean
Detroit

Jones, Charles
McComb, Miss.

McClain, Steven
Waterford, Mich.

Muskovitz, Teri
West Bloomfield, Mich.

Passariello, Kim
Lake Havasu, Ariz.

Raymond, Roy
Twin Falls, Id.

Raymond, Vernamarie
Twin Falls, Id.

Rosiak, Jennifer
Fairbanks, Alaska

Rosiak, Nicholas
Fairbanks, Alaska

Sharangpani, Arati
Holland, Mich.

Stearn, Richard
Whitmore Lake, Mich.

Takenami, Keita
Lexington, Ky.

Thomas, Douglas
Detroit.

Wansedel, Charles
Mount Clemens, Mich.

Zagar, Darlene
Danville, Ky.