Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to honor Tuskegee Airmen hero with distinguished award
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority announced that Tuskegee Airman Flight Officer Daniel Keel will be the 2025 recipient of the Col. Joe Kittinger Award on June 28, 2025 28 during the annual Liberty Weekend concert at the Orlando International Airport.
Officer Keel was selected for the honor by a group of local veterans.
Officer Keel, who is out of Central Florida, is the only triple-rated Tuskegee Airman.
Drafted into service during World War II, Mr. Keel served his nation with courage and bravery during a time of conflict and racial discrimination.
'In honoring Flight Officer Daniel Keel, we not only recognize a trailblazer in American aviation, but we also pay tribute to the courage, sacrifice, and unyielding spirit of all who have worn the uniform,' said Mr. Lyttle. 'As a living embodiment of duty, dignity, and history, Mr. Keel's selection for the Col. Joe Kittinger Award reflects the deep pride the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority holds in its legacy, and in the veterans whose service continues to uplift this nation.'
Officer Keel will be the 10th recipient of the Col. Joe Kittinger Award.
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National Geographic
2 hours ago
- National Geographic
These U.S. national parks and monuments honor the milestones of LGBTQ+ heritage
In the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, the Gay Liberation Monument in Christopher Park near the Stonewall Inn pays homage to the historically pivotal Stonewall Rebellion, which included prominent gay rights activists including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. Photograph by Ed Rooney, Alamy Stock Photo See the country's past through a distinctly queer lens at these National Park Service-managed destinations. Just as it turned 100 in 2016, America's National Park Service (NPS) began to officially recognize the contributions that LGBTQ+ Americans have made to the rich and diverse history of the United States. Given the groundbreaking importance of New York City's Stonewall Inn to global queer history, the National Park Service (NPS) fittingly named New York City's Stonewall National Monument as its first site dedicated to preserving LGBTQ+ heritage. Since then, several other NPS sites nationwide have been acknowledged both officially and unofficially for their important ties to the queer past. Stretched across the country and spanning many eras, these places tell inspirational stories of bravery and individualism that deepen our understanding of American history. All free to the public, visits to the following six NPS-managed sites illuminate legacies not just of LGBTQ+ America, but of America itself. Stonewall National Monument, New York City On a warm summer night in 1969, long-brewing tensions between New York's LGBTQ+ community and its police force finally came to a boil. In the face of yet another NYPD raid on Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn in the early morning hours of June 28, frustrated bar-goers had finally had enough, and they put up a collective fight. The Stonewall rebellion raged on for days and swelled across the Village, marking the birth of the modern queer movement and making legends out of key participants like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. 'Stonewall was about the fundamental right to live authentically,' says Ann Marie Gothard, co-founder of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center. 'That spirit of resistance and the demand for equality still exist today. Stonewall serves as a reminder that progress isn't given, it is continually fought for. It also serves as a powerful reminder that we all stand on the shoulders of previous generations.' Established in 2016, the Stonewall National Monument became the first of its kind dedicated specifically to American LGBTQ+ rights and history. In addition to the Stonewall Inn, the monument encompasses Christopher Park and several surrounding streets where the 1969 riots took place. The interpretive Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center opened last year and includes innovative exhibits like the Mothers of STAR AR Experience, which brings trans and queer icons like Johnson and Rivera back into the Stonewall space. 'Through the Visitor Center, we hope to connect contemporary queer individuals to history while fostering a sense of belonging and community, prompting a call to action for continued progress toward full equality and acceptance for all,' says Gothard. Good to know: The Stonewall Visitor Center at 51 Christopher Street offers extended June opening hours for Pride month, Monday to Wednesday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Regular opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (See 100 years of LGBTQ history mapped across New York City.) Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi Visitors explore the Illinois State Memorial, based on Rome's Pantheon, at Vicksburg National Military Park in Miss. Although in secret, LGBTQ+ people served in the American Civil War, including transgender soldier Albert Cashier, who fought in Vicksburg and the Battle of Nashville. Photograph by Aaron Huey, Nat Geo Image Collection Waged for over six weeks in mid-1863, the Siege of Vicksburg in western Mississippi was one of the Civil War's most grueling and decisive conflicts. More than 110,000 soldiers from across the Union and Confederacy took part in the fighting, including 19-year-old Albert Cashier of the 95th Illinois Infantry. After the war, Cashier returned to Illinois and settled in the little town of Saunemin about 90 miles southwest of Chicago, where he lived quietly for decades—until his gender assigned at birth was revealed, threatening his military pension. 'Cashier served in Civil War fighting at Vicksburg, the Red River expedition, the Battle of Nashville, and more,' explains Rob Sanders, author of the children's book The Fighting Infantryman: The Story of Albert D.J. Cashier, Transgender Civil War Soldier. 'Every step this transgender soldier took during his three years of service was historic. In old age, when Albert's right to receive a military pension was questioned, the army finally declared in writing: 'Identity may be accepted.' Albert thus became the first transgender soldier in the United States to receive a military pension.' Today, the 2,500-acre Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the siege, including 1,325 historic monuments and markers, a 16-mile tour road, and a 12.5-mile walking trail. The park's Illinois State Memorial, located on Union Avenue at milepost 1.8, honors Cashier and his fellow Illinoisan veterans of the siege. Good to know: The Vicksburg National Military Park Visitor Center at 3201 Clay Street is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Vehicle access to the park's tour road is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:40 p.m. (7 places that honor LGBTQ+ history—during Pride Month and beyond.) President's Park, Washington, DC The District of Columbia's President's Park is arguably the most cherished of America's national parks, including as it does the White House, the official residence of the U.S. president. Less known to the general public is that President's Park also figures prominently in the LGBTQ+ history of DC and the nation. 'The history of President's Park illustrates the enormous progress gay men and lesbians have made in America, as well as the ways in which LGBT history is intertwined with the broader American story,' says James Kirchick, author of Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington. 'Beginning in the late 19th century, directly across from the building where the most powerful man on earth resides, some of the capital's most despised citizens—gay men—congregated under cover of night in Lafayette Square,' Kirchick explains. 'For decades, the seven-acre grounds were the most popular nocturnal 'cruising' site in the city, a place for men leading secret lives to meet one another anonymously.' Later, President's Park would serve as the site of one of America's first protests for gay rights. 'On April 17, 1965, under the auspices of the Mattachine Society of Washington, a group of openly gay men and women met outside the White House to hold the first organized picket for gay rights on Pennsylvania Avenue,' Kirchick says. Good to know: The White House Visitor Center at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue NW is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Celebrate Pride with 10 travel books by LGBTQ authors.) Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park, Richmond, California The Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, Calif., highlights the experiences of LGBTQ+ people during the war in the on-site exhibition 'LGBTQ Histories: Stories from the WWII Home Front.' Photograph by Jason O. Watson, Alamy Stock Photo The national historical park commemorates cultural icon Rosie the Riveter, who inspired women to work in factories and shipyards to support the U.S. during the war. Photograph by Zachary Frank, Alamy Stock Photo She would go on to inspire generations of feminists, but Rosie the Riveter's status as a cultural icon began during World War II, when her bandana-clad, muscle-flexing character was created to inspire women to work in factories and shipyards in support of the American war effort. In 2000, the Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park was established as a national park on the site of the former Richmond Shipyards near San Francisco. More ships were built at Richmond than at any other shipyard during World War II, and women made up much of its work force. Today, the park showcases the rich tapestry of Americans who came together to support the Allied cause. The exhibition 'LGBTQ Histories: Stories from the WWII Home Front,' created by independent public historian Donna Graves and now-retired park ranger Elizabeth Tucker, highlights the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the San Francisco Bay area during the war. 'We believe it is the first LGBTQ+ exhibit at a national park, and it was opened to enthusiasm in 2016,' says Graves. 'I continue to be amazed at how it speaks to issues we address today, from housing and health care to climate change. Good to know: The Rosie the Riveter Visitor Education Center, located within the historic Ford Assembly Plant complex at 1414 Harbour Way South, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (These monuments honor LGBTQ history around the world.) Fire Island National Seashore, Ocean Beach, New York Fire Island has been a popular LGBTQ+ travel destination since the 1930s. It's also home to the historic Fire Island Lighthouse built in 1858 and it features a keeper's house, scenic views, and walking/biking paths such as Fire Island Lighthouse Trail, a six-point-five mile out-and-back trail near Bay Shore. Photograph by John Geldermann, Alamy Stock Photo New Yorkers have been drawn for decades to Fire Island, the beachy 30-mile-long barrier island tucked just beneath Long Island. Twenty-six miles of it are now protected as Fire Island National Seashore, easily accessible by a half-hour ferry ride from the mainland. 'There are very few places like Fire Island, which has been a summer destination for queer people since as early as the 1930s,' explains Jack Parlett, author of Fire Island: A Century in the Life of an American Paradise. 'The communities of Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines—both of which were initially developed with heterosexual families in mind—were transformed by the queer people from the city who discovered them and decided to make a home there.' These enclaves have been bastions of art, drag, disco, and sexual liberation, Parlett says. 'They have also weathered numerous challenges in the last century, from homophobic policing to the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,' he adds. 'Fire Island is also important to modern queer America, in part, because of its cultural heritage. It is a place where many beloved queer artists and writers have found solace, including James Baldwin, Patricia Highsmith and Frank O'Hara. Also, the parties are great.' Good to know: From mid-May to mid-October, visitors most commonly access Fire Island by ferry from the Long Island towns of Bay Shore, Sayville, or Patchogue, all reachable by car or the Long Island Railroad. (How historians are documenting the lives of transgender people.) Frances Perkins National Monument, Newcastle, Maine Her name might not be widely known, but all working Americans owe Frances Perkins a debt of gratitude. As Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor and the first woman to ever serve in a presidential cabinet, Perkins was instrumental in developing Social Security and forging federal relationships with labor unions. Perkins was one of only two Roosevelt cabinet members to serve for his entire 1933-1945 presidency, making her the longest-serving U.S. Labor Secretary in history. Established as a national monument in 2024—one of the newest in the National Park Service system—the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine had been in the Perkins family since the mid-18th century. It now encompasses the Frances Perkins Center, dedicated to highlighting Perkins' achievements. 'Perkins was the most effective social progressive in American history, responsible for crafting workplace safety laws that are universal today,' says Kirstin Downey, author of The Woman Behind the New Deal, the definitive Perkins biography, 'and as the primary architect of the Social Security program, which has provided an economic bedrock for generations of Americans.' Downey says Perkins' complex personal life included a marriage to a man and a series of intense relationships with women who shared her progressive ideals. 'She was probably the first [cabinet member] to live openly with a person of the same sex, Mary Harriman Rumsey,' Downey adds. 'She was supportive and encouraging of same-sex relationships, which she viewed as marriages.' Good to know: Accessible only by car, the Frances Perkins National Monument is located at 478 River Road. The Brick House residence remains closed for restorations during 2025, but from June 19 to September 28, the Welcome Center and Homestead Barn will be open Thursday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Dan Allen is a Los Angeles-based writer focusing on travel, culture and queer history. Follow him on Instagram @danquests.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
President Jackson's legacy can be found throughout Middle Tennessee
MADISON, Tenn. (WKRN) — From schools, streets and neighborhoods, it seems like his name can be found on every corner. When you enter the zip code of 37076, it can feel like you're stepping back in time. President Andrew Jackson bought The Hermitage property in 1804. At first, he lived in his log cabin for 17 years before moving into the brick mansion. 'Andrew Jackson was probably one of the most well-known people in the United States of American during his day,' explained Tony Guzzi, Chief Experience Officer at The Hermitage. Andrew Jackson first moved to Tennessee to be the district attorney for the Nashville area. He became the major general for the Tennessee militia in 1802, catapulting Jackson in his career after his victory over the British at the Battle of New Orleans and eventually winning the presidential election in 1828. 'It was the first time an American army on its own defeated a British army that decisively…and so there was a great sense of relief and national pride wrapped up in Jacksons story,' Guzzi said. News 2 On Tour | Explore the communities that shape Middle Tennessee That national pride can still be felt today. 'It's one of the reasons we see the Jackson name and version of the Jackson name like Old Hickory or The Hermitage attached to so many different things in Middle Tennessee,' explained Jason Zajac, President and CEO of Andrew Jackson Foundation. From the state Capitol, to Hermitage, streets, neighborhoods, businesses, schools are named after him and his family. Old Hickory was Jackson's nickname. Donelson was the name of Jackson's father-in-law. 'Jacksonville, Florida…Jackson, Mississippi, all connections back to Andrew Jackson,' Zajac said. But when thinking back on his legacy, there were some troubling aspects in Jackson's life and American history. Neighborhood News: Stories impacting your community | Read More Jackson owned more than 300 slaves over the course of his life. News 2 visited several of the slave quarters on The Hermitage property. 'In his political years, he was an architect of Indian removal and relocation which had terrible consequences for the Native American population of course,' Zajac said. Today about 220,000 people visit The Hermitage from across the world to learn the history of the enslaved people and American history, learn about the property and pay their respects to our 7th president. 'Everybody's going to look at Jacksons legacy in retrospect now and they are going to have differing opinions on Jackson's legacy,' Guzzi said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans' tales of valor
Driving rain fell with the ferocity of machinegun fire while thunder bombarded the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force's rotunda as if it were distant air strike's. Yet, the elements could not overcome the power of the stories being told by World War II veteran airmen 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Beckman and Staff Sergeant Bruce Cook during the museum's 5th Annual WWII panel. Sean O'Dwyer, the museum's education program manager and panel moderator, said while all four panelists from last year's event were alive, Beckman, 102, and Cook, 99, were the only two who could make the trip. Beckman, originally from Northampton, Massachusetts, now hails from St. Petersburg, Florida. Cook lives in West Columbia, South Carolina. The two told stories about close calls, fellow crewmen's practical jokes and harrowing missions. They did so to the best of their recollections, which were much better than they let on, particularly Beckman's as many of his stories were accompanied by the exact date of the mission. The panel was one portion of Sunday's events, which were part of four days of Memorial Day events that the museum planned in honor of the 26,000 airmen of the Eighth Airforce who never returned from WWII. More of the museum's Flags for the Fallen events have been planned for Monday, May 26. O'Dwyer asked the two centenarians a series of questions, helping them call up long dormant moments from their pasts. He started by asking what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. Cook said he was 16 and standing in a doorway when someone came by saying that the Hawaiian naval station had been bombed. "And to me, that didn't mean a whole lot," he said because he had never heard of it before. Beckman actually resigned from the Naval Academy because his roommate's grandfather was a doctor with the with the Navy, and he had heard that a war with Japan was "just around the corner." So he signed up with the Army Air Corp in November of 1941. For him, Dec. 7 of that year started like any other day until about 4 p.m. when he heard what had happened at Pearl Harbor. Beckman went on to serve as a navigator within the 305th Bomb Group while Cook was a waist/ball gunner and toggler for the 379th. Beckman attributed his desire to be an aviator to his first flying experience when he was five years old. The manager of Northampton airport knew his father and invited Beckman for a ride in a two-seater airplane. During the war, he went on 48 missions over two tours. He signed up for a second tour after he decided he wanted to become a permanent officer. He flew with two U.S. presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Beckman described two close calls he had in service. One involved a German pilot who flew his Messerschmitt Me 262 "absolutely vertical" 20 feet off the right wing, so close Beckman could see he was blond with glasses and a white scarf. "I guess I saw him for all of a split second," he said, but he never forgot it. Another close call occurred when his crew's right wing engine had been hit and caught fire. He called that a death notice because a fire usually proceeded an explosion, which typically meant crew members had five to 10 seconds to grab a parachute and jump. In that moment, he secured his parachute and dangled his feet out the escape hatch and then he heard a copilot tell everyone the fire was out. He did not have to jump. Had he jumped he would have done so over enemy territory and undoubtedly been taken as a prisoner of war. Cook could not recall ever being scared beyond his first mission when he told a peer he could not get into the ball turret with his parachute on. The peer said that they could leave his parachute aside and if they got shot down maybe he could get up and grab it in time. Cook was then worried the whole four hours and fifteen minutes of that first, and likely his shortest, mission. Beyond that, he did not recall being scared very much in the air. He did remember a time when a plane ahead of his caught fire. The flames streamed behind it so much that a crewman on his plane thought their plane had caught fire and a miscommunication led another crewman to grab his chute and jump out over enemy territory. Cook told another story of how he shot at an approaching fighter, taking him out. Later the other gunner on the plane also claimed to have shot the enemy fighter down. When the crew got back to base they flipped a coin to see who would claim the hit. "Malone won," he said. Years later when he looked at the military records it only stated that a bomber shot down a fighter, giving no particular airman credit. Both Cook and Beckman flew dozens of missions throughout their tours of duty. Cook joked that officers and enlisted men such as himself did not always hang out during the war, but it was an honor to be speaking with Beckman about their experiences and the men they served with. Beckman and Cook, while grateful for the museum's recognition, deflected any praise heaped upon them. When asked to reflect on Memorial Day's meaning, Cook said he did not deserve the praise that the museum and community were giving him. To underscore the point of the holiday, he recollected one more story of a fellow airman who was less fortunate. During the war, a young man Cook referred to as Albert was moved to another plane to make way for Cook's return to his crew. Cook said on Albert's first mission with the new crew their plane was shot down. Albert and others bailed out over enemy territory while the crew's pilot went down with the plane. For Beckman, Memorial Day is an "opportunity for me to think about the fellows that didn't make it, they were the real heroes." He then paused before expressing that he was at a loss for words "to describe how wonderful life can be when the world is at peace." Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans
