[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 27 (Thursday, February 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN APPRECIATION FOR SHARING AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 12, 2003

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of a brave and 
resourceful veteran from my district. Recently, I had the pleasure of 
presenting him with the Distinguished Flying Cross medal--nearly sixty 
years after the flight engineer saved his plane by repairing it mid-
flight.
  Ray Huntsinger served as a flight engineer with the United States 
Army Air Corps, now the Air Force, during World War II. During a 
mission to bomb Nazi oil reserves in Romania, Huntsinger's plane 
suffered damaged from anti-aircraft fire. He examined the plane and 
found that its hydraulic lines, which affect the air brakes and landing 
gear, had been ruptured. After notifying the pilot that he would have 
to make an emergency landing, Huntsinger set to work. Using materials 
he found on the plane, he constructed a patch over the damaged lines, 
and he strapped parachutes to the plane's waist to slow it down after 
landing. After circling the airfield until all emergency vehicles were 
in place, the pilot began his descent, and executed a perfect landing--
the makeshift patch saved the day.
  Years later, after retiring to Hot Springs Village, Huntsinger 
recounted the story to a friend of his who happened to be a retired Air 
Force Colonel. That friend submitted the story to the Air Force, and 
almost sixty years after that mid-flight repair, Huntsinger was awarded 
the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal.
  I am so pleased to have the opportunity to properly honor one of our 
veterans. Mr. Huntsinger had an outstanding military career with the 
U.S. Army Air Corps during the Second World War. He flew fifty combat 
missions out of Italy, and in the incident that earned him the Flying 
Cross distinction, he demonstrated incredible ingenuity and 
resourcefulness, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers as they fought 
for their country. I welcome any opportunity to thank our veterans and 
to hear their stories, and this is quite a story!

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