[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL WALTER L. McCREARY, USAF 
                               (RETIRED)

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, February 1, 2016

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of 
Lieutenant Colonel Walter L. McCreary, USAF (Retired), for his bravery 
and service to this nation.
  Lt. Col. McCreary served this nation as one of the original Tuskegee 
Airmen and in a time of deep racial division, when many of the very 
citizens he defended would see him treated as a second-class citizen. 
It is in part because of the determined perseverance and success of the 
Tuskegee Airmen as the most efficient fighter group in the 15th Air 
Force that President Harry Truman integrated all branches of the armed 
forces in 1948.
  Lt. Col. McCreary entered the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1941 
and flew a Waco biplane. He joined the Tuskegee program as a cadet the 
next year. He earned his military wings after nine months of training, 
in March 1943 as a second lieutenant. In his 89 missions as a fighter 
pilot and as part of the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group he 
flew over France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Romania, Greece, Hungary, 
and Yugoslavia.
  It was in 1944 during a strafing mission over Lake Balaton in Romania 
that he took flak from German anti-aircraft artillery, ultimately 
parachuting to the ground before being turned over by local farmers to 
the German military. He was transferred to Stalag Luft III, a prisoner 
of war camp specifically designated for airmen. He was liberated from 
the camp along with all other prisoners in May 1945.
  Lt. Col. McCreary returned home from his time as a prisoner of war in 
Germany and continued his service within the armed forces for nearly 
two more decades. His commitment and the historic contributions of the 
Tuskegee Airmen in the face of institutionalized discrimination were 
recognized in 2007 with the Congressional Gold Medal.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me once more in 
recognizing the extraordinary contributions of Lt. Col. Walter 
McCreary.

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