[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5782-5783]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING BILL STAGGS FOR VALIANT SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LINCOLN DAVIS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William 
(Bill) Staggs, Captain, United States Army Air Force for his valiant 
service as a fighter pilot during World War II.
  Upon entering the service in September 1942, Mr. Staggs, born in 
Portland, Tennessee, was sent to Santa Anna, California for ground 
school. He soloed in April 1943, in a Ryan PT-22 at King City, 
California. He flew the PT-13A at Gardner, California, and the AT-6 and 
P-40 at Luke Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Staggs flew the P-47 at Baton 
Rouge, Louisiana before departing for England.
  In the fall of 1944, Bill was assigned to fly the P-51 Mustang with 
the 55th Fighter Group, 38th Squadron of the 8th Air Force

[[Page 5783]]

based at Wormingford, England. The P-51's mission was long-range escort 
of American and British bombers over Germany. Bill flew 56 missions 
totaling 279 combat hours from late 1944 to the end of the war.
  During World War II, the three squadrons of the 55th Fighter Group 
destroyed over 580 enemy aircraft and Bill was officially credited with 
destroying three. Of particular note is the downing of one Focke-Wulf 
190 for which he was not credited but resulted in Bill being awarded 
the Distinguished Flying Cross. While flying bomber escort over Germany 
in the spring of 1945, Bill came to the aid of a fellow P-51 pilot who 
was in a losing battle with a German plane. He skillfully maneuvered 
his plane behind the Focke-Wulf and shot the plane off his fellow 
pilot's tail. Bill later learned the pilot in the other P-51 was an 8th 
Air Force General. For his heroic act in saving the General's life, 
Bill was awarded the medal for extraordinary achievement in June 1945, 
by Brigadier General M.C. Woodley, Commanding General of the 8th Air 
Force's 66th Fighter Wing. During his entire service in England, Bill 
was awarded the Air Medal and six Oak Leaf Clusters. The Air Medal is 
awarded for an act of meritorious service in aerial combat. An Oak Leaf 
Cluster is awarded as an addition to the Air Medal and each Cluster 
represents an additional act of meritorious service.
  I commend Captain Staggs and the many men and women of the ``greatest 
generation'' for stepping up when the people of the world needed them 
the most. One only wonders how the world would be today if it wasn't 
for those brave souls.

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