Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E983-E984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING EDWARD J. TRACEY
______
HON. TIM RYAN
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Friday, October 23, 2020
Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, in this the 75th anniversary of the end of
WWII, I rise to pay tribute to Edward J. Tracey. Like so many of our
courageous WWII veterans, Ed is gone but will not be forgotten. Madam
Speaker, I am confident that the following highlights of the
contributions Ed Tracey made to the War effort will reveal a legacy,
not just for the 13th District of Ohio, but for the broader impact
Capt. Tracey had on the victory against tyranny.
Ed, along with his two brothers and two sisters, grew up at RFD No.
3, a farm located in Cortland, Ohio.
[[Page E984]]
Ed began his lifelong love of flying by taking lessons from a local
flight instructor by the name of Ernie C. Hall at Hall's Airport.
Ernest ``Ernie'' C. Hall who is widely recognized for his long career
in aviation, was born near Warren, Ohio in 1890. A friend of the Wright
brothers, Hall built his first powered airplane in 1909 and flew it in
1911. He began his career as a civilian flight instructor in 1913,
opening a flying school in Pennsylvania in 1915. During World War I he
transferred to Call Field in Wichita Falls, Texas where he trained over
500 military pilots for combat. In 1922 Hall relocated his flight
school to Warren, Ohio where he taught until his death in 1972. His
1911 monoplanes have been displayed at the Smithsonian's National Air &
Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the National Museum of the
U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Ed logged a total of 110 Hrs. at Hall's
Airport.
Ed left the family farm and traveled to Canada to join the Royal
Canadian Air Force in May 1941, seven months before Pearl Harbor. Ed
became a Flying Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained in
the following aircraft: Fleet Finch, Harvard, Tiger Moth and the Fairey
Battle. Ed logged a total of 375 Hrs. in the RCAF from May 1941 through
May 1942 and was awarded the Canadian War Medal.
After serving one year in the RCAF, Ed transferred to the U.S. Army
Air Corps in June 1942 and was posted to Tyndall Airfield Gunnery
School near Panama City, Florida for combat training. During training
at Tyndall Field, 2nd Lt. Tracey met 2nd Lt. Clark Gable, the ``King of
Hollywood'' and one of the stars of the 1939 film classic ``Gone with
the Wind.'' After what must have been a night full of many stories,
most likely related to training and the uncertainties that lie ahead,
Tracey left sporting Gable's service hat (also known as a crusher) and
vice versa. They met again the next day for the ROTC (Return of The
Crushers). Ed logged a total of 264 Hrs. in the following aircraft from
June 1942 through September 1943: O-46A, L-4B, AT-6A, AT-6C, BT-13A, O-
47A, O-47B, (P-51A, P-51B Mustangs), A-33, AT-9, AT-9B, P-40L Warhawk,
(B-25C, B-25D Mitchells), B-26 Marauder, B-34 Lexington.
In October of 1943, Ed transferred to the 522nd Squadron--27th
Fighter Bomber Group. The 27th supported the 5th Army's drive toward
Rome. Ed flew the A-36 Apache, the P-40F Warhawk, and the P-47D
Thunderbolt in combat. The nose Art on his Thunderbolt read RFD No. 3--
Ed wanted the enemy to know where his special deliveries were coming
from, and there were many.
January 12, 1944, Ed was on a mission to take out enemy gun positions
close to the front lines in South Central Italy. His A-36 Apache
developed engine trouble near Gaeta Point and he had to leave the
formation. Ed got as far as the Volturno River Valley before coming
down in a field for a belly landing.
The impact caused the prop to slice through the canopy. Lucky for Ed,
his head went down and forward, just in time to avoid disaster. Ed flew
a total of 102 air combat missions from October 1943 through August
1944 and logged a total of 165 hrs. of flight in the Mediterranean
Theatre of War. Rome was liberated on June 5, 1944. ``ANGELS ON OUR
SHOULDERS'' said Captain Mille (Tom Hanks), in reference to the P-51
Mustangs in one of the last scenes of the movie, ``Saving Private
Ryan.'' Many of the Angels of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group did not
return.
Captain Tracey transferred to the 3rd Army Air Force in July 1944,
and trained and prepared students for combat in the P-40 and P-51
Mustang. Captain Tracey logged a total of 362 Hrs. in the following
aircraft until his discharge on December 7, 1945: B-17F Fortress, P-47D
Thunderbolt, BT-13B, C-47A, UC-78, (P-40, P-40F, P-40K10, P-40L, P-40N,
P-40N15, P-40N20, P-40N25, P-40N35, RP-40N, RP-40N25 Warhawks), (P-51C,
P-51C6, P-51C10, P-51D, P-51D20, P-51K5, P-51K10 Mustangs).
All together Captain Tracey served a total of one year in the Royal
Canadian Air Force and three years and seven months in the U.S. Army
Air Forces. Ed logged 375 hours in the Royal Canadian Air Force and 825
hours in the U.S. Army Air Forces for a total of 1,200 hours. Ed logged
flight time in a total of 45 individual aircraft.
Ed's love of aviation was not about to end. He became a member of the
EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and built and flew his
homebuilt Mustang II.
I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in
saluting the legacy of a very accomplished WWII combat pilot and
instructor, Edward J. Tracey.
____________________
