[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 131 (Friday, September 11, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1271-E1272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            LT. CALVIN SPANN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 2015

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lieutenant 
Calvin Spann, who passed away this last Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 
his home in Allen, Texas.
  Lt. Spann was born on November 28, 1924 and grew up in Rutherford, 
NJ. While growing up near the local Teterboro Airport, he was inspired 
to fly. He learned about the physics of flying while a student at 
Rutherford High School, and at eighteen he volunteered for the U.S. 
Army Air Corps in the heat of World War II to pursue his dream of 
flying.
  It was in 1943 at Tuskegee, Alabama that Lt. Spann started his 
aviation cadet training. Not only did he withstand a brutal and 
rigorous training program, he overcame a selective quota system at a 
time when all branches of the U.S. Armed Services were segregated. He 
was determined and focused to earn his wings. Soon after, he was 
promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.
  He was sent to Italy as a replacement combat pilot and joined 
hundreds of other black men that would comprise the famed Tuskegee 
Airmen. Created in 1940, the all-black flying unit was a result of 
Public Law 18, which established civilian pilot training programs at 
166 colleges and universities across the country. This law eventually 
led to the expansion of the Army Air Corps.
  Lt. Spann was a member of the elite 100th Fighter Squadron, part of 
the 332nd Fighter Group and piloted the powerful P-51 Mustang. His 
service as a fighter pilot included 26 combat missions over Nazi 
controlled Germany. He participated in the longest bomber escort 
mission in the 15th Air Force history: a 1,600-mile, round trip 
mission, from Ramitelli, Italy, to Berlin with the objective of 
destroying the Daimler-Benz manufacturing plant.
  As public opinion toward the Tuskegee Airman changed, Lt. Spann's 
accomplishments finally came to light. The discrimination he faced 
during training contrasted greatly with the praise he received from the 
bombers, whom he escorted. Through his service and

[[Page E1272]]

the prestige of the Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Spann was proud to have played 
a part in President Harry Truman's decision in 1948 to abolish 
segregation in all branches of the U.S. military.
  Lt. Spann returned home as a decorated war veteran. He received the 
Air Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation, the World War II Victory 
Medal, the American Campaign Ribbon, and the European/African/Middle 
Eastern Campaign Ribbon for his honorable and courageous service.
  After leaving active duty in 1946, Lt. Spann wanted to become a 
commercial pilot. However, he was confronted with racial discrimination 
in the airline industry and never received his chance to fly again. It 
wasn't until 1963 that the U.S. Supreme Court ordered major commercial 
airlines to hire African-American pilots. Lt. Spann was inducted into 
the New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame at Teterboro Airport in 2006. In 
2007, he was among the Tuskegee Airmen who were collectively given the 
Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush.
  It is an honor for me to represent the 9th Congressional District of 
New Jersey, which includes Lt. Spann's hometown of Rutherford. He 
leaves a legacy that is truly a story of his times, a story of heroism 
and courage even in the face of his own countrymen who tried to keep 
him out of the air. In the end, Lt. Calvin Spann became a fighter pilot 
who defended our nation in its ultimate struggle, truly the epitome of 
our `greatest generation.'
  The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is 
rewarding, yet nothing compares to recognizing and commemorating the 
life achievements of individuals such as Lt. Calvin Spann.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Lt. Spann's family 
and friends, all those whose lives he has touched, and me, in 
recognizing the life of Lieutenant Calvin Spann.

                          ____________________