Latest news with #TuskegeeAirmenCommemorationDay
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After approving a ban on DEI, NC House votes to honor the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen
Members of the Tuskegee Airmen circa May 1942 to August 1943. (Photo: Public domain) The irony of the moment was likely not lost on Rep. Renée Price. Shortly after a tense, hours-long debate in the state House and the passage of a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across North Carolina government, it was her time to speak on House Bill 254. The Orange County Democrat stood and asked her colleagues to support legislation that would designate the fourth Thursday of March as 'Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day' in North Carolina. In 1941, the federal government established the 66th Air Force Flying School at Tuskegee Institute to train Black pilots for the war. Almost 1,000 African Americans trained at the Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama; and 450 of the men who completed training were sent overseas for combat duty. Most battled discrimination and other challenges not experienced by white individuals in the officially segregated U.S. military. And for those who survived, many such challenges persisted in the decades that followed — a phenomenon that DEI policies sought to combat. 'The Tuskegee Airmen were pilots, mechanics, bombardiers, navigators, crew members, nurses, and instructors,' Price said. 'From 1943 to 1945 in the European Theatre, they provided escorts during bombing missions, helping the Allied Forces in achieving a victory in the global conflict that caused horrific destruction and casualties.' The Tuskegee Airmen flew hundreds of patrol and attack missions — first flying older and less well-equipped P-40 and P-39 airplanes, before ultimately being reassigned to escort B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, using P-47 and P-51 airplanes. They earned the nickname 'Red Tails' from the distinctive painted tails of the Tuskegee fighter planes. 'I have a personal interest in this request,' Price shared. 'Even though he was from New York State, my father was actually part of the 99th Pursuit Squadron and was with the 332nd Fighter Group.' Rep. Nasif Majeed (D-Mecklenburg) told members of the House that as a decorated Air Force combat pilot who flew 120 combat missions over North Vietnam, the history of the Tuskegee airmen was very dear to him. 'I stand on their shoulders,' said Majeed. 'They were known as the Red Tails and all the bomber pilots said that because of their outstanding record, they wanted them to escort them because they lost fewer aircraft.' The National WWII Museum notes that while 66 Tuskegee Airmen died in combat, it was one of the lowest loss records of any escort fighter group. They are credited with completing more than 1,500 missions, destroying 260 enemy aircraft, and sinking an enemy German destroyer. Rep. Abe Jones (D-Wake) said it was a Tuskegee Airman who helped change the trajectory of his life. After the war, Harold Webb became a teacher and a principal, and served as a leading force for school integration, according to the Raleigh Hall of Fame. Governor Jim Hunt later appointed Webb as the first African American director of the Office of State Personnel in 1977. The former Tuskegee Airman worked to strengthen the state's Equal Employment Opportunity program that was dedicated to diversifying and strengthening the state's government workforce. 'I'm proud to be able to have a chance to vote for this bill,' Jones told his House colleagues. Rep. Jay Adams (R-Catawba) became emotional as he thought about his own father in World War II. 'He was shot down outside of Rome in January of 1944. He spent 16 months in a German prison camp.' Adams said it was after his capture in a dark, crowded box car that his father met a fellow southerner and aviator named William E. Griffin from Montgomery, Alabama. Griffin took flight training at Tuskegee, earned his wings in 1943, and flew more than 23 flights over enemy territory. 'William E. Griffin became one of my dad's best friends. They dug tunnels together. They cooked together. They exercised together. They did everything together for 16 months.' After the war, the two POWs lost touch. Adams said his father was deeply saddened to learn in 1992 that Griffin died in 1969. 'Willie E. Griffin was the only Black guy in that prison camp. In the end of the war, there were 8,500 airmen there. But he was one of them. They were best friends. This is very special to me.' Adams said it took years, but he made sure that letters his father had in Griffin's own handwriting were returned to his daughter. 'He was very educated. He was a smart guy.' Adams, a co-sponsor on the Tuskegee bill, joined 68 of GOP colleagues in voting to approve the bill to ban DEI programs. Earlier this year, in an effort to comply with Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion, the Air Force removed videos that included stories of the Tuskegee Airmen from the military's training materials. Bipartisan outcry over that hasty decision led Air Force officials to walk back the order. Locally, the Heart of Carolina Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Wilson V. Eagleson Chapter are now seeking the special day of commemoration outlined in House Bill 254 to ensure that the history of America's first Black military pilots and their triumph over adversity is never not forgotten. HB254 won a rare unanimous vote (114-0) on Wednesday in the state House and now moves to the North Carolina Senate.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tuskegee Airmen honored by Delaware National Guard in 2nd annual commemoration
The Brief Keeping an important part of history alive, the Delaware Army National Guard hosted the second annual Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in New Castle County. The expo celebrates the brave men who broke down racial barriers during World War II, while inspiring the next generation of aviators. WILMINGTON, Del. - The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military pilots in U.S. history, breaking racial barriers and proving their excellence in the skies during World War II. Legacy commemorated "So many of them now are long gone and we are losing more every day but we want to keep that history alive, that legacy they established," says Andre Swygert, the Chapter Secretary for John H Porter First State Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Part of keeping that legacy and history alive is spreading the word of the Tuskegee Airmen to the youth. Honoring heroes The organization Black Women in Aviation helped put together this commemoration. "We are honoring the past, embracing this present and we have these young people here, we are going to push forth and inspire the future," says Samantha Mitchell, the Founder and President of Black Women in Aviation. A large number of kids were present to listen to the guest speakers, enjoy virtual simulations of being a pilot, and going inside a number of military planes. What they're saying Netesha Herbert of Bear, Delaware decided to bring her daughters to the event. "I thought this would be really cool. I get to learn history about the Tuskegee Airmen and expose my kids to things that they wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise," says Herbert. The goal of the event is to make sure the Tuskegee Airmen will forever be recognized for their trailblazing efforts in the U.S. military. "It's because we're having so much history erased, it's good to hear it firsthand. We don't know where else and when you'll be able to read it, where you should be able to read it so, it was really important to me to educate and that's why we're here," says Denise Jenkins of New Castle, Delaware, who brought her grandkids. During the ceremony, decedents of Tuskegee Airmen were recognized with special plaques.
Forbes
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Florida Becomes Latest State To Name Tuskegee Airman Day, March 27th, As Official State Holiday
FILE - Tuskegee airman Charles McGee and his great grandson Iain Lanphier react as President Donald ... [+] Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) Is it time for the United States to create a new federal holiday to recognize the Tuskegee Airmen? It may be, as Florida becomes the latest state to deem Tuskegee Airman Day a state holiday. On March 27, 2025, in Orlando, Florida, a ceremony will honor America's most recognizable World War II fighter squadron with its very own state holiday: Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day. While so much history is being scrubbed from federal government websites under the directive of President Trump's push to eliminate DEI from federal agencies through executive orders, in some cases the Tuskegee Airmen became a casualty. Prior to this, in March 2024, both houses of the Florida State Legislature passed their own versions of a bill to highlight these American heroes. From there, a singular version of the bill, House Bill 1227 (2024), was voted on and advanced to the governor's desk, to get signed into law. On April 11, 2024, Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed HB 1227 into law. The new law designates the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, paving the way for the first celebration to take place in 2025. 'The unanimous passing of the bill, both the Florida House and the Florida Senate Democrats, Republicans,' said Sylvester Terry with the Central Florida Tuskegee Airmen, 'that is unification. It chokes me up thinking about it for the sake of something that is right. It is not about their idea or your idea. It's not a left versus a right, not conservative. It's American (heroes) that deserve to be commended for their actions regardless of their race." Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, R, center, stands with, from right, surviving Tuskegee Airmen and Army Air ... [+] Corpsmen; Maj. (Ret) George W. Biggs, Mechanic Ralph B. Stewart, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.(Ret) Asa Herring, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.(Ret) Robert Ashby, Rudolph K. Silas and Howard A . Williams Jr., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 at the Capitol in Phoenix. Brewer declared the fourth Thursday of March annually as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day. Arizona is home to six surviving original airmen. (AP Photo/Matt York) The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black pilots in the U.S. military, who got their name from their training facility in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Airmen consisted of 15,000 men and women in total, of which approximately 1,000 were pilots. Serving in combat for the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII, their successes led to the U.S. Air Force being the first service branch of the government to be integrated—a process they initiated even before President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which desegregated the military. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no Black American had been a U.S. military pilot. The 'separate but equal' treatment at the time used as justification for blocking previous attempts by Black soldiers to become pilots. They'd become known as the 'Red Tails,' for the bright red color painted on their airplanes. During their time in combat, due to the segregation protocols, the Airmen had to operate a 100% segregated unit, unable to access tools, supplies, aircraft or equipment used by any white soldiers. By necessity, they'd become self-sufficient. When all was said and done, the Airmen proved through their performance that they were not merely equal but perhaps even superior to their white pilot counterparts—a radical thought at the time, and maybe even still today. Looking beyond the headline of the bill and the holiday, the description of the Tuskegee Airmen and their service honors them as they deserve. In some ways, this attention to detail has been lost due to the tone of the recent narrative that has swept the country. Below is an excerpt of the language included in the bill, which reads as follows: 'Before World War II, African Americans had very limited roles in the defense of the United States and none in military aviation, and when the nation was drawn into the war, African Americans aspired to more meaningful jobs in the military, including flying and maintaining aircraft. And as the rapid expansion of aircraft production during the war created a greater need for military pilots, public outcry from civil rights groups and black professional organizations exhorted the United States War Department to begin training black pilots in the Army Air Corps. The 99th Fighter Pursuit Squadron, the first black flying squadron, trained at Dale Mabry Field near Tallahassee to prepare for combat overseas, and the Eglin Field ranges in Okaloosa County were used by the first class of advanced training cadets, as well as pilots in the advanced training stage, for gunnery and combat tactics, and the outstanding performance of the Tuskegee Airmen was unprecedented in military aviation history. The month of March is significant to the Tuskegee Airmen, as it is the month in which the first cadets received their wings; the first maintenance crew began training at Chanute Field, Illinois; the first Pursuit Squadron, the 99th, was activated; Eleanor Roosevelt visited Kennedy Field and flew with Chief Alfred Anderson, an African American Instructor Pilot; and President George W. Bush presented the Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal.' The bill continues, listing some of the most prominent names of Airmen, as well as other notable African Americans, in the state of Florida. WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 11: Tuskegee Airman Major Anderson shows off a Congressional Gold Medal ... [+] given to all Tuskegee Airmen during a ceremony commemorating Veterans Day and honoring the group of World War II airmen November 11, 2013 in Washington, DC. The ceremony was held at the African American Civil War Museum on the day that World War I ended 95 years ago, the date the United States honors all of its military veterans. (Photo by) Other states, including Mississippi, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, currently celebrate this day. Could the holiday eventually receive federal status? A proposed federal holiday, like any other bill, would need to be introduced in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. From there, the bill must be passed by both chambers with a majority vote before being sent to the president, to sign it into law. Some states that have yet to make Tuskegee Airmen Day an official holiday have aligned to create a collective tribute to the Airmen. Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, D.C., each issued proclamations declaring March 27, 2025, Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day. The unified recognition across the region underscores a commitment to uplifting the Airmen's legacy. Other states, such as Connecticut, have bills in progress. Perhaps today, more than ever, the Tuskegee Airmen can unify the country once again—even if it's 80 years after their historic efforts of World War II.
