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Story of WWII dad shared

CORTLAND — Tim Tracey said he used his father’s war journal to put together a program telling of the many accomplishments of Cortland resident Edward Tracey, who was an aviator during World War II.

Tracey, who was a guest speaker at a recent Cortland Bazetta Historical Society gathering at the Opera House, said his father had many interesting stories compiled in his journal. Tracey said he inherited his father’s war journal and started writing a booklet. As he wrote and researched, he said he realized the special role his father played while in the military.

He said young men like his father who went to Canada to become pilots before the United States entered the war were important when the U.S. Army Air Force was formed. They taught new pilots and were leaders in air warfare, he said.

Tracey created a short CD of some of the wartime flights based on his father’s journals. He also showcased a collection of photos and uniforms which are displayed at the Ernie Hall Museum in Howland.

“My father’s career was fascinating,” said Tracey, who had assistance from Sally Lane and others from the historical society in compiling the facts and accomplishments of his father.

The Tracey family moved from Pennsylvania to Cortland in 1924. The family’s home was located off state Route 46 near where Dunkin’ is today.

“My dad began his love of flying at the Ernie Hall Airport,” Tracey said.

Capt. Ed Tracey joined the RACF in May 1941 and served to September 1943 as a single-engine combat pilot.

He said his father went to gunnery school in Florida, where he met actor Clark Cable.

“The film ‘Gone With the Wind’ had just come out in 1939, so Clark Cable was very well known,” Tracey said.

Later when he left the military, Ed Tracey was a pilot instructor for many men entering the war.

“He was a pilot instructor in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana,” he said.

Tracey said he has always been fascinated with military stories and found that his father had many to share.

bcoupland@tribtoday.com

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