[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO HONOR WORLD WAR II'S FIRST HERO, CAPTAIN 
                          COLIN P. KELLY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ALLEN BOYD

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduced a bill to honor World War 
II's first hero, and fellow Floridian, by designating the post office 
building in Madison, Florida the Captain Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Post 
Office.
  Colin Kelly was born in Monticello, Florida on July 11, 1915. Raised 
in Madison, Florida he attended Madison High School until his 
graduation in 1932. In the summer of 1933, Kelly entered West Point, 
and after graduation in 1937 he was assigned to flight school and a B-
17 group.
  At the outbreak of WWII, Capt. Kelly, along with other B-17 crews, 
was ordered to Clark Field, the Philippines. Shortly after the bombing 
of Pearl Harbor, Capt. Kelly and his crew were ordered on a bombing 
mission to attack the Japanese fleet. After completing their bombing 
run, Capt. Kelly's plane was attacked by two Japanese fighters while 
returning to Clark Field. Kelly gave the order to abandon the aircraft 
but remained at the controls to maintain the plane's elevation so his 
crew could safely bail out. He did not have time to make his escape and 
was killed in the line of duty on December 10, 1941.
  According to Major Kenneth Gantz in a memo for General William Hall 
dated November 21, 1945, ``Kelly became a hero by circumstances at the 
time when his country desperately needed a hero.'' Indeed, Kelly was 
featured in many popular publications of the day and is often 
considered America's first hero of WWII. In addition, President 
Roosevelt awarded Capt. Kelly the Distinguished Service Cross 
posthumously for his actions.
  The designation of the post office in his hometown of Madison as the 
Capt. Colin P. Kelly, Jr. Post Office seems a fitting tribute to this 
patriot, his family, and his legacy. I am proud to honor this American 
hero.

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