[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 137 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF LT. HENRY BOHLER, RETIRED

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 17, 2007

  Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life 
and career of Lt. Henry Bohler, Retired, and to acknowledge his role as 
a Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.
  From as early as he could remember, Lt. Henry Bohler wanted to be a 
pilot. In an attempt to learn as much about flying as he could, he took 
an airport job at age 17. At the outbreak of World War II, the military 
was still segregated. Upon reading about the new Tuskegee Airmen, the 
first black military airmen in the United States who served under the 
command of the great Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., he enrolled and left for 
Tuskegee, Alabama for basic flight training. Lt. Bohler learned to fly 
the P-51 Mustang and served bravely in the military until 1947 when he 
left with the rank of second lieutenant. After graduation from Hampton 
University in Virginia, he relocated to Tampa in 1950. In Tampa, Lt. 
Henry Bohler ran his own business as an electrician for over 30 years 
until his retirement. He was the first African American licensed 
electrician in Tampa.
  Lt. Bohler was with his wife and children in 1960 when they were 
turned away from the Lowry Park Zoo. As Zoo employees explained, his 
family was being turned away for no other reason than the color of 
their skin. Lt. Bohler took the city of Tampa to court and subsequently 
faced a lengthy trial. In the two years prior to his court decision, he 
was often targeted for harassment as he was routinely pulled over by 
police. On the day of his court decision, he was pulled over by police 
five times. It truly was a historic day for the City of Tampa when the 
judge ordered all parks and recreational facilities must be 
desegregated.
  Friends admired his spirit, his work in the community, and his pride 
in his military service. Lt. Bohler never missed a Tuskegee Airmen 
convention and would fly his own Piper Archer to several convention 
locations throughout the country. He was proud of his membership in the 
group and he still serves as an inspiration to the pilots of today. His 
walls are adorned with the awards and medals he received from schools 
and other organizations for his contributions to the community as well 
as his membership in the Tuskegee Airmen.
  The entire Tampa community honors and remembers the life of Lt. Henry 
Bohler, Retired, and we offer our condolences to his wife, Clifford 
Marie, his sons, George and Henry Jr., and his daughter, Pamela, as 
well as his seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Lt. Henry 
Bohler, Retired, will continue to be remembered as a pioneer in the sky 
as well as for equality for his fellow citizens.

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