August 23, 1952 - March 14, 1980

Killed in plane crash en route to Warsaw, Poland as a
member of the U.S. Olympic Amateur Boxing Team

MEMORIAL BY HARRY R. MUNSEY, JR.

Sgt. Elliott Chavis was a member of the 118th Military Police Co. (ABN) in 1980 when he was chosen to represent the Army and the US on the US Amateur Boxing Team.  During preparation  for the Summer Olympic Games, Sgt. Chavis died when the plane he was in crashed in Warsaw, Poland while travelling for a tune-up event for those games.

He and I were great friends, played football together on our unit flag football team, and he was one heck of a running back too.

SGT CHAVIS AND HIS TEAMMATES
REMEMBERED IN 2004 OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY

Alex Ramos Selected as USA Torchbearer for ATHENS 2004
(http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=1197&more=1)

Ramos is deeply honored to have been nominated and selected to be a Torchbearer for the 2004 ATHENS Olympics and intends to carry the torch to honor all of the amateur boxers who aspire to be medalists and for all of the fighters who never made it—especially his USA Boxing Teammates who were killed in a plane crash in 1980 en route to Warsaw, Poland for the USA vs. Poland Box-off as part of “USA vs. the World.”

"Down But Not Out...Lost But Not Forgotten" Photos courtesy of Cynthia Schomberg

In 1984, the statue entitled, “Down But Not Out...Lost But Not Forgotten”, was produced [by artist A. Thomas Schomberg] for the international amateur boxing association in memory of the American Olympic boxing contingency killed in a 1980 airplane crash enroute to Poland.  One of the life size castings is permanently located at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, and the second is located in front of the Felix Stamm Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

(from: "National Art Museum of Sport")

Return to Main Index