[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TUSKEGEE AIRMEN DAY

  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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