Tuskegee Airmen Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. JONES. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of the inaugural Tuskegee Airmen Day to be held annually on March 7 in the State of Alabama, marking the anniversary of the first graduating class of Tuskegee Airmen in Tuskegee, AL. After decades of being barred from flying for the U.S. military, on March 19, 1941, the U.S. Department of War created the all African-American 99th Pursuit Squadron in Tuskegee, AL. Upon completing 1,600 missions, destroying over 250 aircraft, and laying the foundation for President Harry S. Truman to desegregate the U.S. military in 1948, this courageous, boundary-breaking group of 13 African-American men would go on to be known simply as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Recently, the President signed H.R. 2500, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which approves the honorary promotion of Documented Original Tuskegee Airman, U.S. Air Force Colonel (retired) Charles E. McGee, to brigadier general. I believe it is a well-deserved promotion for a hero the likes of General McGee. It is my honor to commend and recognize General McGee, who is one of the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Less than a year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, General McGee enlisted in the Army Air Forces on October 26, 1942. He went on to become one of the first pilots to graduate from the experimental Tuskegee Institute in June 1943. General McGee also has the distinction of flying more combat missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam than any other Air Force pilot. Brigadier General Charles McGee will be in attendance at the inaugural Tuskegee Airmen Day ceremony in Alabama this year.

For over half century, the courage, tenacity, and grit of General McGee and all of his fellow Tuskegee Airmen have been a source of hope and inspiration for generations of Americans. I congratulate the city of Tuskegee and the State of Alabama for recognizing such a distinguished group of servicemembers who helped change the course of our Nation's history.

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