[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 19 (Friday, February 18, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 2005

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, this month we celebrate Black History Month 
and the many accomplishments and contributions of African Americans in 
our community. I rise today to honor the lives and sacrifices of the 
Tuskegee Airmen.
  Prior to 1940, African Americans were denied military leadership 
roles and skilled training in the U.S. Military because the military 
institution believed they lacked the qualifications and experience for 
combat duty. In fact, African Americans were barred from flying for the 
U.S. military until World War II when the Army Air Corps program 
initiated a program known ``Tuskegee Experiment.''
  In July 1941, thirteen young Americans began military flight training 
at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. Five of those 
thirteen young men completed training and received their Army Air Corps 
silver pilot wings, becoming our Nation's first African American 
military fighter pilots. They would later be known as the Tuskegee 
Airmen.
  Between 1941 and 1946, 992 pilots graduated from Tuskegee Army Air 
Field, with 450 of those serving during World War II in either the 
famed 99th Fighter Squadron or the 332nd Fighter Group. Both units, 
heralded for their bravery and tenacity, received numerous Presidential 
Unit Citations for exemplary tactical air support and aerial 
combat. The Tuskegee Airmen also paid a high price, losing 150 pilots 
while in training or on combat flights.

  It has been said that the Tuskegee Airmen fought two wars--one 
against the enemy overseas and the other against racism and bigotry at 
home and abroad. Yet, in the face of these challenges, they accepted 
their country's call to service and fought heroically in great battles 
for freedom.
  Mr. Speaker, the national organization of Tuskegee Airmen, Tuskegee 
Airmen, Inc., estimates there are fewer than 300 of the original 
Tuskegee Airmen still alive today. Three of these courageous 
individuals reside in my own district. Mr. O. Oliver Goodall of 
Altadena, California; Mr. Andrew Jack Simon of South Pasadena, 
California; and Mr. LeRoy Criss of Pasadena, California all received 
their training as Army Air Force fighter pilots and joined the ranks of 
the Tuskegee Airmen in 1942 and 1943. They served our country with 
honor and distinction, and I am grateful for their dedication and 
service. Today, I honor the contributions of Mr. Goodall, Mr. Simon, 
and Mr. Criss and all of the other Tuskegee Airmen who served valiantly 
in the U.S. Military.
  I am pleased to rise in support of H. Con. Res. 26 which recognizes 
these groundbreaking individuals for their bravery and dedication not 
only to fight for their country, but also to fight for equality back 
home.
  The ``Tuskegee Experiment,'' as it was known at the time, was not an 
experiment at all, but a radical disproving of racial stereotypes and a 
precursor to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and the 1960s. The 
Tuskegee Airmen shattered many of the entrenched racial biases in 
American culture, and in many respects, these pioneers were among the 
first to challenge segregationist policies. The Tuskegee Airmen charted 
the course for the many other brave individuals who follow them in the 
continuing quest for racial equality in the United States, and they 
deserve both our respect and our admiration.

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