[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11285]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         JOHN BURL HULSEY, SR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
extraordinary American and a native of my congressional district, John 
Burl Hulsey, Sr., who was instrumental as a Navy pilot during World War 
II in the development of our Nation's first cruise missile.
  While all of his friends are certainly aware of his service in the 
Navy, very few know that Lieutenant Commander Hulsey was one of the 48 
Navy pilots hand-selected for this top secret mission. In fact, this 
project was so top secret that Lieutenant Commander Hulsey was 
prohibited from even discussing it with his wife, Mary Louise, until it 
was officially declassified in 1989.
  During World War II, the United States Navy established two special 
squadrons which developed the Standoff Guided Missile Forces, an 
experimental program designed to direct unmanned drone aircraft loaded 
with explosives into enemy targets. Remote-controlled drones, pilotless 
planes with a video camera mounted on their noses, were loaded with 
2,000 pound bombs and directed to their targets by a trailing aircraft 
located several miles from the site of impact. Using radar guidance and 
wireless video transmission, this technology was state-of-the-art, 
futuristic technology in the early 1940s. For the first time in 
history, naval aviators were able to accurately strike high-profile, 
heavily defended installations while remaining out of danger.
  Also termed the American Kamikaze, this mission set forth a powerful 
blow to the enemy, using tactics never before seen in modern warfare, 
undoubtedly changing the scope and the outcome of World War II as well 
as various conflicts which have followed.
  In 1938, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey enrolled at North Georgia 
College, then a 2-year institution, prior to transferring to the 
University of Georgia in Athens for completion of his studies. While at 
the University of Georgia, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey participated in 
the university's civilian pilot training program, where he began 
preparing for a career in aviation. Immediately prior to entering his 
senior year at the University of Georgia, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey 
decided to enlist in the Navy, and was ordered to report for service 
shortly thereafter.
  In addition to being stationed for training at naval air stations in 
Chamblee, Georgia, Pensacola, Florida, and New Orleans, he and other 
members of what were called STAG I spent several years in Clinton, 
Oklahoma and Traverse City, Michigan, where they conducted extensive 
testing and development of the drone project prior to deployment to the 
Pacific theater.
  Finally, in May 1944, Lieutenant Commander Hulsey and many of his 
fellow STAG I pilots departed for the Russell Islands in the Solomon 
Island Chain, about 25 miles from Guadalcanal, where the Navy prepared 
to carry out a critical series of attacks on enemy strongholds across 
the region. Anti-aircraft fire was heavy at times around his plane and 
the drones which he followed, but he was, fortunately, never struck.
  On September 27, 1944, the very first TDR-1 assault drone attack in 
combat was successfully carried out, marking an historic moment in the 
development and implementation of cruise missiles in warfare.
  Of the 47 total attacks carried out by STAG I during their brief 
mission in the Pacific, an unprecedented 22 targets resulted in direct 
hits, including island caves loaded with enemy ammunition and anti-
aircraft installations in the Shortland Islands, Bougainville, and 
Rabaul. These attacks sustained a record 47 percent hit on intended 
targets, an incredible accomplishment in 1940's technology. The short 
mission ended as the war came to a close and U.S. forces began to 
extinguish their supplies of drones.
  In a July of 1990 letter sent to members of STAG I and the Special 
Air Task Force, then Secretary of the Navy H. Lawrence Garrett 
commended the brave men and women for their service to our Nation, 
honoring, and I quote, ``the vision, determination, and dedication with 
which they performed their secret duties during World War II, which 
laid the groundwork for today's modern cruise missile.''
  There is no question, Mr. Speaker, that the accomplishments of the 
men of STAG I laid the groundwork for the development of modern-day 
smart bombs, which has revolutionized American military strategy as 
well as that of our allies across the globe. Countless lives have been 
saved through this technology, and our ability to target enemy 
installations with precision has proven itself critical in defending 
our country from ever present threats.
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly pleased to rise today in honor of Lieutenant 
Commander John Burl Hulsey, Sr. I would also like to thank him, his 
wife, Mary Louise, and members of his family who have joined me in the 
House gallery this evening to receive this special recognition. His 
service, while having occurred over 6 decades ago, continues to save 
the lives of those in the front lines of the war on terror. I thank 
Lieutenant Commander Hulsey, and will always share a deep respect for 
this hero's courage, valor, and dedication and service in the United 
States Navy. And I conclude by congratulating him on his 90th birthday.

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