[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 76 (Tuesday, June 11, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5358-S5359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO FLOYD CALVERT, JR.

  Mr. NICKLES. Mr. President, I recognize an American who honorably 
served our Nation for nearly 40 years. At the age of 25, Lieutenant 
Floyd Calvert Jr., an Oklahoman and Cherokee Indian, served as a bomber 
pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps flying B-29 aircraft in the Pacific 
Theater during World War II.

[[Page S5359]]

  On June 1, 1945, Lt. Calvert and his crew of ten from the 504th Bomb 
Group took off from Tininan Island, in the Marianias to strike Osaka, 
Japan. Immediately after delivering his ordnance, his B-29 aircraft was 
hit and severely damaged by anti-aircraft artillery fire. Lt. Calvert's 
headset was blown off inflicting wounds in his scalp and left arm. His 
co-pilot was also wounded and unable to assist in flying the damaged B-
29. With the right inboard engine on fire, Lt. Calvert placed his 
aircraft in a steep dive to extinguish the flames. With the fire out he 
tried in vain to feather the engine but the runaway propeller spun off 
and flew into the right outboard engine, creating a very grave 
situation with both engines on the right side inoperable. Lt. Calvert's 
crew decided to remain with the crippled B-29. Wounded and bleeding, 
Lt. Calvert flew solo toward the airfield at Iwo Jima. To reduce the 
aircraft's weight and extend its range, he proceeded to jettison all 
removable items, to include life rafts, reducing their chances of 
survival if they had to ditch the aircraft into the Pacific Ocean. Once 
over Iwo Jima, Lt. Calvert circled his bomber to permit other bomber 
aircraft to recover or bail out over the tiny island. In a feat of 
unprecedented airmanship and heroism, Lt. Calvert then flew a flawless 
approach and landing, bringing his crew to safety in an aircraft that 
would never fly again.
  Like so many of his time, Lt. Calvert returned to Oklahoma and began 
a fifty-one year marriage and raised five children. He worked for 34 
years as a federal employee at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City 
and served on his local school board and in his church. Today, at age 
82, he resides with his youngest daughter, her husband and their two 
children, and he remains an inspiration to our generation as we look 
back and admire the heroes of our past. I thank him for his unwavering 
service and sacrifice to the United States of America. May God bless 
Floyd Calvert Jr. and his family.

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