[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 136 (Wednesday, October 16, 2002)] [Senate] [Page S10564] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN 17TH ANNUAL SALUTE Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this weekend hundreds of individuals from throughout the Nation will be gathering in my hometown of Detroit, MI, to honor, remember, and pay tribute to one of the most illustrious and feared U.S. Army units in the Second World War, the Tuskegee Airmen. These individuals will be gathering for the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum's 17th Annual Salute Reception and Dinner. The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is unique in many ways but starts with similarities to the story of so many members of the ``Greatest Generation'' who fought in the Second World War. It is a story of young men who answered the call of duty and fought to defend our Nation with courage, pride, and zeal against the forces of tyranny and oppression. These men have earned our Nation's enduring respect for their actions and deeds in defense of the United States. But of course their story is also unique. In addition to being one of the most successful air combat units in the Second World War, the Tuskegee Airmen, whose pilots trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, AL, overcame a pattern of rigid segregation and prejudice that questioned their ability to serve as Airmen and prevented them from training and working with their white counterparts. Led by the recently departed General Benjamin O. Davis, the first black general in the Air Force, the Tuskegee Airmen flew over 15,500 sorties, completed over 1,500 combat missions, and downed over 260 enemy aircraft. They even sunk an enemy destroyer. Amazingly, no bomber escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen was ever downed. But 66 Tuskegee pilots flying escort did make the supreme sacrifice for our Nation and another 32 were taken as prisoners of war. Collectively, these actions won the Tuskegee Airmen 3 Presidential Citations, 95 distinguished Flying Crosses, 8 Purple Hearts and 14 Bronze Stars. Upon returning home from war, these Airmen found a society still deeply segregated. The Tuskegee Airmen themselves remained segregated from the larger military and were unable to provide their skills and aptitude to other units that were in dire need of qualified airmen. It was not until President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 that segregation was ended in the United States Armed Services. This Executive Order played a vital role in the subsequent integration of our Nation. The valor and dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen played a vital role in changing our Nation's attitude toward integration and racial diversity. In recent years, our Nation has rightly sought to honor those who served in the Second World War and to recognize the challenges faced and overcome by the Tuskegee Airmen. I know my Senate colleagues join me in commending the Tuskegee Airmen for their willingness, to paraphrase Philip Handleman, an aviation historian from Oakland County, MI, to fight two wars at the same time: one war against the forces of totalitarianism abroad and the other against the forces of intolerance and prejudice at home, and to have the determination to win them both. ____________________