[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 28026]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CAPTAIN WILLIAM ECKER

  (Mr. ROONEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. ROONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Captain 
William B. Ecker of Punta Gorda, Florida, in my district, who passed 
away earlier this month. Captain Ecker flew combat missions in the 
Pacific during World War II, serving 32 years in the United States 
Navy. Most notably on October 23, 1962, Ecker led low-level sorties 
over Cuba collecting photographic evidence of the Soviet missiles 
fueling vehicles and other related equipment.
  Flying the F-8 Crusader, Captain Ecker was able to fly at lower 
altitudes than the U-2 spy plans. At the lower level, Ecker took close-
up pictures of a site near the town of San Cristobal in western Cuba 
proving without a doubt that Soviet missiles were in Cuba.
  Captain Ecker received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his quick 
and risky flights over Cuba. The unit Ecker commanded, VFP-62, received 
the first peacetime Navy Unit Commendation in history by President John 
F. Kennedy.
  Captain Ecker leaves behind his wife, Kit, of 62 years and his two 
sons, Richard and David, and a Nation grateful for his distinguished 
service.

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