[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1292-E1293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCING A BILL TO ESTABLISH THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN NATIONAL HISTORIC 
                                  SITE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB RILEY

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 14, 1998

  Mr. RILEY. Mr. Speaker, despite a widespread belief that they did not 
have the ability as black aviators to be effective war fighters, the 
famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II proved that they were among the 
best pilots in the European Theater.
  Affectionately known by the bomber crews they protected as the ``Red 
Tails'' (for the red paint on the tails of their fighters), the pilots 
of Tuskegee did not lose one bomber in their care to enemy fighters. As 
a result of their heroic service, the Tuskegee Airmen were one of 
America's most highly decorated fighter groups of World War II.
  But the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen did not end with the 
war. Because of their demonstrated ability as an effective fighting 
force and their individual heroism, the Tuskegee Airmen gave President 
Harry T. Truman the proof he needed to justify his decision in 1948 to 
desegregate the U.S. military. Finally, the Airmen's success served as 
an inspiration for the civil rights movement in following decades.

[[Page E1293]]

  Mr. Speaker, today, I, along with my colleague, Congressman Earl 
Hilliard, will introduce legislation in the House of Representatives 
that will designate the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton 
Field, Alabama, as a unit of the National Park Service. Ultimately, 
this legislation will allow the Park Service to tell the American 
people the complete story of the brave men at Tuskegee who overcame 
racism and intolerance in their own nation so that they could fight 
racism and intolerance in Europe.
  Mr. Speaker, we should neither discount nor forget the impact of the 
Tuskegee Airmen on the ``American Experience.'' The Tuskegee Airmen, in 
my view, should be immortalized, honored and thanked for their 
courageous and selfless efforts to preserve and protect the freedom 
that every American enjoys. We can do that by passing this measure.

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