[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S9429]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         COMMENDING GEORGE OTT

 Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, a friend of mine, Walt Jacobs, from 
New England, ND, writes a column in his local newspaper titled ``Around 
The Pot.'' On August 28, 2009, he wrote a wonderful column about a 
courageous man named George Ott and his service to our country as an 
Air Force pilot in World War II. I wanted to share it with my 
colleagues. The column is as follows:

       Today, as I sit with pen in hand, my thoughts are with a 
     good friend, George Ott, who is spending his days at Hawk's 
     Point in retirement in Dickinson. My first recollection of 
     George is when he was in high school at St. Mary's with his 
     sister, Clara in the 30's, a time when there were no crops, 
     low prices, land was blowing and the future was dismal for 
     everyone.
       Crops were better in 1939, and we experienced good weather 
     and a prosperous economy in the early 40's was enhanced by 
     the war in Europe and the United States entry to the conflict 
     in December of 1941. George interrupted his college and 
     volunteered for duty in the Air Force in 1940 and became a 
     bomber pilot. George bombed a Japanese submarine off the west 
     coast of Washington, one of the first of the war. Stationed 
     in England in 1943, his bomber was chosen to fly a secret 
     mission for the State Department which directed him to fly 
     with a courier to Accru, Africa and from there to Brazil, 
     South America and then to complete the secret mission to 
     Washington, D.C. The three-day trip was met in Washington and 
     the military cover and secrecy convinced the pilot of the 
     mission's urgency and its military importance.
       He was sent back to England and continued the daylight 
     missions over Europe as squadron commander until Black 
     Friday, the last day of the day-light raids over Germany 
     until the Air Force could provide aerial cover for the 
     bombers. Until that raid on the 14th day of October, the air 
     cover from England had to turn back over Germany when they 
     reached their fuel limit, leaving the bombers to provide 
     their own firepower for defense. As the planes were shot down 
     from their defense formation, the squadrons were left to the 
     mercy of the German planes. On that Friday, George left 
     England, commander of the bomber group to bomb the ball-
     bearing factory at Schweinfurt. He, in his leading plane, was 
     hit by defensive German antiaircraft fire before he reached 
     the target and fell out of formation. (As were 87 percent of 
     the American bombers shot down on that day on the Schweinfurt 
     raid.) He continued at a slower pace with the loss of motors, 
     but dropped his bombs and turned his plane for home in 
     England. George determined it was best for the crew to bail 
     out of the lumbering air craft over northern Germany, but he 
     continued with one of the four engines running and hoped to 
     make the coast of England. As he flew the plane alone, he 
     spotted a Messerschmitt fighter alongside and gave George a 
     friendly thumbs down sign and George left his plane. As he 
     floated to the earth in his parachute, he saw his bomber shot 
     from the sky.
       George landed in a potato patch and as he scrambled to bury 
     his chute, he heard a sound behind him and there stood a 
     civilian home-guard with a pointed gun. George said the bore 
     looked big enough to crawl into with the statement, ``For you 
     the krieg bist fertig.'' (For you the war is over.)
       As George walked around his prison camp he reached through 
     the fence and daily brought the tufts of grass to his stalag 
     and replanted the grass until he had a lawn by his barracks, 
     4x8. As that farm boy spent his time in his prison, the 
     spirit of his farming heritage wanted to lie on the grass 
     while waiting for the war to end.
       So, today George is waiting once again, but he is not lying 
     on the grass by his stalag in enemy land, but at Hawk's Point 
     with the comfort he deserves so much.
       So on Wednesday we will honor George on his 90th birthday. 
     Thank you, George, a good and honorable servant.

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