[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 182 (Friday, October 23, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E983-E984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING EDWARD J. TRACEY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TIM RYAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 23, 2020

  Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, in this the 75th anniversary of the end of 
WWII, I rise to pay tribute to Edward J. Tracey. Like so many of our 
courageous WWII veterans, Ed is gone but will not be forgotten. Madam 
Speaker, I am confident that the following highlights of the 
contributions Ed Tracey made to the War effort will reveal a legacy, 
not just for the 13th District of Ohio, but for the broader impact 
Capt. Tracey had on the victory against tyranny.
  Ed, along with his two brothers and two sisters, grew up at RFD No. 
3, a farm located in Cortland, Ohio.

[[Page E984]]

  Ed began his lifelong love of flying by taking lessons from a local 
flight instructor by the name of Ernie C. Hall at Hall's Airport. 
Ernest ``Ernie'' C. Hall who is widely recognized for his long career 
in aviation, was born near Warren, Ohio in 1890. A friend of the Wright 
brothers, Hall built his first powered airplane in 1909 and flew it in 
1911. He began his career as a civilian flight instructor in 1913, 
opening a flying school in Pennsylvania in 1915. During World War I he 
transferred to Call Field in Wichita Falls, Texas where he trained over 
500 military pilots for combat. In 1922 Hall relocated his flight 
school to Warren, Ohio where he taught until his death in 1972. His 
1911 monoplanes have been displayed at the Smithsonian's National Air & 
Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and at the National Museum of the 
U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Ed logged a total of 110 Hrs. at Hall's 
Airport.
  Ed left the family farm and traveled to Canada to join the Royal 
Canadian Air Force in May 1941, seven months before Pearl Harbor. Ed 
became a Flying Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained in 
the following aircraft: Fleet Finch, Harvard, Tiger Moth and the Fairey 
Battle. Ed logged a total of 375 Hrs. in the RCAF from May 1941 through 
May 1942 and was awarded the Canadian War Medal.
  After serving one year in the RCAF, Ed transferred to the U.S. Army 
Air Corps in June 1942 and was posted to Tyndall Airfield Gunnery 
School near Panama City, Florida for combat training. During training 
at Tyndall Field, 2nd Lt. Tracey met 2nd Lt. Clark Gable, the ``King of 
Hollywood'' and one of the stars of the 1939 film classic ``Gone with 
the Wind.'' After what must have been a night full of many stories, 
most likely related to training and the uncertainties that lie ahead, 
Tracey left sporting Gable's service hat (also known as a crusher) and 
vice versa. They met again the next day for the ROTC (Return of The 
Crushers). Ed logged a total of 264 Hrs. in the following aircraft from 
June 1942 through September 1943: O-46A, L-4B, AT-6A, AT-6C, BT-13A, O-
47A, O-47B, (P-51A, P-51B Mustangs), A-33, AT-9, AT-9B, P-40L Warhawk, 
(B-25C, B-25D Mitchells), B-26 Marauder, B-34 Lexington.
  In October of 1943, Ed transferred to the 522nd Squadron--27th 
Fighter Bomber Group. The 27th supported the 5th Army's drive toward 
Rome. Ed flew the A-36 Apache, the P-40F Warhawk, and the P-47D 
Thunderbolt in combat. The nose Art on his Thunderbolt read RFD No. 3--
Ed wanted the enemy to know where his special deliveries were coming 
from, and there were many.
  January 12, 1944, Ed was on a mission to take out enemy gun positions 
close to the front lines in South Central Italy. His A-36 Apache 
developed engine trouble near Gaeta Point and he had to leave the 
formation. Ed got as far as the Volturno River Valley before coming 
down in a field for a belly landing.
  The impact caused the prop to slice through the canopy. Lucky for Ed, 
his head went down and forward, just in time to avoid disaster. Ed flew 
a total of 102 air combat missions from October 1943 through August 
1944 and logged a total of 165 hrs. of flight in the Mediterranean 
Theatre of War. Rome was liberated on June 5, 1944. ``ANGELS ON OUR 
SHOULDERS'' said Captain Mille (Tom Hanks), in reference to the P-51 
Mustangs in one of the last scenes of the movie, ``Saving Private 
Ryan.'' Many of the Angels of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group did not 
return.
  Captain Tracey transferred to the 3rd Army Air Force in July 1944, 
and trained and prepared students for combat in the P-40 and P-51 
Mustang. Captain Tracey logged a total of 362 Hrs. in the following 
aircraft until his discharge on December 7, 1945: B-17F Fortress, P-47D 
Thunderbolt, BT-13B, C-47A, UC-78, (P-40, P-40F, P-40K10, P-40L, P-40N, 
P-40N15, P-40N20, P-40N25, P-40N35, RP-40N, RP-40N25 Warhawks), (P-51C, 
P-51C6, P-51C10, P-51D, P-51D20, P-51K5, P-51K10 Mustangs).
  All together Captain Tracey served a total of one year in the Royal 
Canadian Air Force and three years and seven months in the U.S. Army 
Air Forces. Ed logged 375 hours in the Royal Canadian Air Force and 825 
hours in the U.S. Army Air Forces for a total of 1,200 hours. Ed logged 
flight time in a total of 45 individual aircraft.
  Ed's love of aviation was not about to end. He became a member of the 
EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) and built and flew his 
homebuilt Mustang II.
  I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in 
saluting the legacy of a very accomplished WWII combat pilot and 
instructor, Edward J. Tracey.

                          ____________________