[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 113 (Monday, July 11, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN MEMORY OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALEXANDER JEFFERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 11, 2022

  Ms. TLAIB. Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the late 
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson, a World War II Tuskegee Airman 
and one of Michigan's most decorated pilots as we honor his memory.
  Jefferson's remarkable and heroic service figures prominently in our 
nation's history. He was considered to be one of the ``original'' 
Tuskegee Airmen, which drew heavily from Michigan and were the U.S. 
Army's first Black Air Corps. Jefferson served as a P-51 fighter pilot 
with the Red Tails, 332nd Fighter Group 301st Fighter Squadron in 
Ramitelli, Italy. His unit bravely escorted bombers into action, 
providing critical protection from enemy aircraft without losing a 
single plane.
  Jefferson was captured as a prisoner of war on August 12, 1944, three 
days before the invasion of Southern France, after he was shot down 
while firing at German radar stations on the coast. Presumed dead, he 
was held for more than nine months. He was liberated by Patton's 3rd 
Army on April 29, 1945.
  After the war, Jefferson served as an instrument instructor in 
advanced flight training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, 
continuing the storied Air Corps' legacy of excellence in flight. He 
was discharged from active duty in 1947 and retired from the reserves 
in 1969. In his civilian life, Jefferson worked as an elementary school 
science teacher in Detroit, where he would retire as an assistant 
principal in 1979. Jefferson served as a member of various church, 
educational, and alumni organizations, as well as being one of the 
founders of the Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was a member 
of the Tuskegee Airmen Speaker Bureau, a life member of the Silver 
Falcon Association, and has served as an Admissions Counselor for the 
U.S. Air Force Academy.
  He has received numerous awards and accolades for his bravery and his 
selfless service for our country, including the Purple Heart Award. He 
represented the best of Detroit. We have lost a great American patriot, 
a hero, and a Detroiter who should always be remembered for his service 
to freedom for our country. He may be gone from our sight, but never 
from our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.

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