[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 91 (Thursday, June 24, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H4884-H4885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO AN AMERICAN HERO, CAPTAIN CURTIS J. ZANE, UNITED STATES NAVY 
                                RETIRED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, on the eve of his 80th birthday, I 
rise tonight to pay tribute to an American hero, Captain Curtis J. 
Zane, United States Navy Retired.
  Captain Zane, or Casey, as he is known among his friends, is not a 
hero in the popular sense of media. He is really one of those many 
silent and unsung American heroes who, when their Nation called, put 
everything on the line to protect our freedom. He is one of those 
heroes who strives every day to find the right balance between devoting 
time to work and financial success and just taking time to experience 
the sheer joy of living.
  Born on July 4, our Independence Day, in 1919, in Cleveland, Ohio, 
Casey Zane has seen and lived the greatest part of this century, the 
American century. His parents came from Poland at the turn of the 
century, and like so many millions of immigrants, came to this country 
to begin a new life.
  They married here and had five children. Casey is the youngest. While 
his father worked long and hard hours in the Cleveland steel mills, 
Casey attended school in Cleveland, selling newspapers before and after 
school with his brothers, Hank and Al.
  After taking a year off to work following the tragic death of his 
father at the hands of a drunk driver, Casey graduated from John Hay 
High School in 1938. He was elected president of his graduating class. 
Casey's mom and brothers and sisters pulled together and were 
determined that he, Casey, would be the first of the family to attend 
college.
  In 1939, he started at Ohio State University. After 3 years there, 
with war clouds looming, Casey signed up for and took Navy flight 
training from November of 1941 through September, 1942, in Kansas City 
and Corpus Christi.
  From November, 1942, through June, 1943, Casey flew PBY's and B-24s 
in combat patrol missions in the South Pacific with Patrol Squadron 14, 
and beginning in March of 1943, with the famed Black Cat Patrol 
Squadron 101, under the command of Lord Louie Mountbatten.
  Casey flew combat patrol missions that covered areas in Australia, 
Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, the Coral Sea, the Solomon Islands, 
Indonesia, and the Java Sea. During those perilous years of combat and 
sacrifice, some of Casey's closest friends lost their lives or were 
wounded at the hands of the imperial Japanese forces. Fortunately for 
us and for myself, Casey is one of the survivors.
  After combat duty from July, 1944, through May, 1946, Casey was 
instructing B-24 pilots at Hutchinson, Kansas. He was married on March 
10, 1945, to a wonderful lady, Dorothy Dix Kavanagh, Dickey, as we call 
her, Kavanagh, whom Casey had met while in Ohio State, one of seven 
children born to Ohio farmers Fred and Mabel Kavanagh. All seven of the 
Kavanagh children have lived to see their 50th wedding anniversaries.
  Casey and Dickey have been married for 54 years and have two 
daughters, two sons-in-law, one son, a daughter-in-law, four 
grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. They have the kind of 
mutual respect and supportive relationship that lasts forever. Both 
Casey and Dickey have a deep and abiding faith in God and continue to 
live honest and moral lives.
  Throughout the remainder of Casey's Navy career, he continued to put 
it on the line for this country. After the war, Casey and Dickey served 
in Saipan. In fact, after transiting aboard the vessel Breckenridge 
from Norfolk to Saipan, Dickey and new daughter Susan had more sea time 
than Casey did at that time.
  Further assignments included Fleet Air Wing Staff, Naval Air Station, 
Jacksonville, Florida, then aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Leyte 
as communications officer. Later the Zanes were transferred back to 
Jacksonville, Florida, where Casey served as executive, then commanding 
officer, Patrol Squadron 18, performing anti-submarine warfare missions 
off Florida and in the Caribbean.
  During the Cuban missile crisis, Casey served at the Command Post of 
the CINCLant Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia. In the early sixties he was 
stationed at the Navy's Bureau of Personnel, and in 1965 took command 
of vital Cold War U.S. Navy communications bases at Londonderry, 
Northern Ireland, and Thurso, Scotland.
  After duty in Ireland and Scotland, Casey returned to his last hitch 
at the Pentagon and retired as a Navy Captain in November of 1968, 
having served our Nation defending our freedom for a little over 27 
years.
  During his Navy years, Casey completed Navy flight and aviation pilot 
training, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Aviation Ordnance 
School, General Line School, post-graduate Naval Command Communications 
School, and U.S. Naval War College.
  His medals and decorations include the American Defense Service 
Medal; the American Campaign Medal; the Air Medal; the Asiatic-Pacific 
Campaign Medal, for three stars; World War II Victory Medal; National 
Defense Service Medal, one star.

[[Page H4885]]

  After the Navy, Casey was not finished by a long shot. He and his 
wife decided it was time to work, to hunker down and make a little 
money. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s and early nineties Casey and 
Dickey both became hard working real estate agents and brokers in the 
greater Northern Virginia area. Casey had a very successful second 
career in land development and commercial and industrial real estate.
  My personal relationship with Casey goes back for more than 25 years. 
During that time he visited my home State of Alaska many times. In 
fact, as a great campaign supporter and worker he rightfully credits 
himself with more than one of my narrow campaign victories.
  As a young man Casey was a scratch golfer and later carried a single 
digit handicap for years. Over 30 years a member of the Army-Navy 
Country Club, Casey can still break 90 on a regular basis.
  Even as he approaches his 80 years young this Fourth of July, Casey 
is as active as ever. He works out three times a week, stays in 
excellent shape, maintains a delightful sense of humor, and still 
drinks his vodka on the rocks, sports a license plate that declares 
life is too short to smoke cheap cigars. God willing, my wife Lu and I 
will have many more years of close friendship to look forward to with 
this very special man and his very special family.
  As I recollect on the meaning of July 4, I will, along with many 
other friends and family, celebrate on that day the birth of a 
particularly good friend, an American hero who was willing to give his 
all to our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, please join my colleagues and me in wishing a very happy 
80th birthday to Captain Curtis J. Zane, United States Navy Retired. 
Happy birthday, Casey. You are my sweetheart.

                          ____________________