[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 114 (Friday, September 22, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H7994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    GAIL M. EDWARDS: A TRUE AMERICAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, to me, the real heroes in our country today 
are those people who go to work every day, play by the rules, provide 
for their loving families and contribute back to their communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one such American hero, Mr. Gail 
Edwards, on the occasion of his retirement, after nearly 35 years as a 
pilot with Trans World Airlines.
  Gail is what I think we would call an ideal American, a man whose 
life and career have made us all proud. He was born on July 16, 1935 
and grew up in Indiana with his mother, Dorris Wannetta Edwards, and 
his father Harold Perry Edwards, and his brother Victor Royce Edwards.
  He was the first of his family to graduate from college, and he 
received his degree from Indiana University in 1957. He joined the 
United States Air Force immediately after college, fulfilling his 
lifelong dream of flying.
  As a child, he had spent many hours building model airplanes and 
hanging them around his room. He volunteered to fly volunteer airlift 
missions to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and then served in Air 
National Guard for many years after the war, retiring as a Full Bird 
Colonel, Vice Wing Commander, Tactical Airlift Wing, and received 2 Air 
Force commendation medals.
  Years later, when the Nation was in the Gulf War conflict, he 
volunteered again. He ran into the commanding general of the California 
Air National Guard and said, ``Call me if you need a grizzly gray-
haired old man to fly a 130.'' They both smiled, and Gail knew he was 
not going to get a call. But they also both knew, if he did get a call, 
he would say, ``You bet.''
  Gail loved the Air Force for opening up vast vistas for him. He 
believed the Air Force was a Godsend. He loved every minute of it. 
While on duty in England and Japan, Gail met and married Kathleen 
Riley, an English, speech and drama teacher on the American Air Force 
bases in 1962.
  When he left the Air Force in 1966, he went to work for TWA and has 
been a pilot for that airline for nearly 35 years. He has said that the 
Air Force taught him to fly and allowed him to experience the world, 
but TWA gave him the opportunity to share it with his family and all 
the other passengers.
  Gail lives with his wife of 38 years in Redondo Beach, California. 
His children are Kimberly Ellen Edwards, one of San Diego's best 
television journalists, and Jonathan Kyle Edwards of Scottsdale.
  He enjoyed working for TWA and, even more, he loved serving his 
country. He is extremely patriotic, just the kind of citizen we all 
want to know and to be.
  He has volunteered with the United Methodist Church, Little League, 
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Indian Guides, and Indian Maidens. He built 
playhouses for his children and helped them with their homework.
  But first and foremost, Gail is an American and a pilot. He loves his 
family, he loves his job, and he loves his country. I am honored to 
have this opportunity to recognize a real American hero, Gail Edwards, 
and to thank him for his service to TWA and to his Nation.




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