Congress uses defense bill to end battle over World War II relic

It took an act of Congress for Minnesota resident Lex Cralley to finally claim ownership of a World War II-era Navy fighter plane that he dug out of a North Carolina swamp.

Cralley, a 49-year-old airline ground service mechanic, has been battling the Navy for the past several years to retain possession of the rare Brewster F3A-1 Corsair, which he began to restore in 1991 at his own expense before offering to donate it to the National Museum of Naval History.

Despite his charitable effort, the Justice Department in March filed suit against Cralley on behalf of the Navy for custody of the plane, compensation for any "damages" caused by removing or restoring it and the Navy's costs in bringing suit against him. But a provision drafted by Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and included in the conference version of the fiscal 2005 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress approved last Saturday, directs the Navy to immediately transfer ownership of the aircraft to Cralley as a "gift."

Cralley attributes his love of aircraft restoration in part to a high regard for those who serve in the armed forces. His father was a Seabee and is a veteran of World War II.

"Preserving our past is a memorial to those who served and those serving now," he told CongressDaily. "I have no problem with the Navy, but there are civilian bureaucrats who I feel are going very, very far with their power to preserve their jobs and not to preserve history."

Jones, whose North Carolina district includes the original crash site near Cherry Point Marine Corps Training Station, said he was outraged by the Navy lawsuit against the Princeton, Minn., resident.

"They are asking for reimbursement for "damages" the aircraft may have incurred while he was transforming it from a wreck to a museum showpiece," Jones said in a statement this week. "And, oh -- by the way -- the government wants Mr. Cralley to pick up the tab for the unnecessary lawsuit that the government filed against this taxpayer."

Jones described the dispute as "another example of big government unnecessarily invading our lives," noting that "Mr. Cralley did us all a service by salvaging a rare war plane which the public can appreciate in the future."

Cralley credits Jones for taking on the issue even though he had nothing -- personal or political -- to gain. With the help of Jones and Minneapolis attorney Boyd Ratchye, Cralley said he thwarted Navy attempts to buy him off.

"I think they thought they could break me very quickly," he said, adding that the Navy offered to compensate Cralley in exchange for the aircraft. When the president signs the defense authorization bill into law, the plane will be legally transferred to Cralley.

A Justice Department spokesman said the federal lawsuit was awaiting resolution. The spokesman said once the bill is signed, the department will seek to dismiss the lawsuit.