[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 2 (Friday, January 5, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING CAPTAIN CLAUDE A. ROWE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SHRI THANEDAR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 5, 2024

  Mr. THANEDAR. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following 
proclamation.
  Whereas Claude Rowe was born to Jamaican immigrant parents and raised 
in Detroit, Michigan, and was accepted as one of the first Black 
Americans into the prestigious Cast Technical High School where he 
excelled in engineering.
  Whereas Claude Rowe interrupted his aeronautical studies at the 
University of Michigan at the outbreak of World War Two to serve his 
country as a pilot.
  Whereas Claude Rowe, discovering that no black Americans were 
permitted to be pilots, took advantage of his dual American and 
Canadian citizenship and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force where he 
was the only black man in his unit who was trained to be a pilot.
  Whereas Claude Rowe, still desiring to become an American Military 
pilot, heard about the Tuskegee training program for young black 
fighter pilots, applied and was selected.
  Whereas Claude Rowe, along with approximately 900 selected Tuskegee 
airman who follow the vision to outwork every fighter group and to work 
for the good of the group rather than for personal glory, accomplished 
an incredible feat as fighter escorts: they never lost a bomber 
entrusted to their care. The Tuskegee airman became the most requested 
and preferred escort bomber pilots. Because when the red tail painted 
planes arrived, victory was guaranteed.
  Whereas Claude A. Rowe, the only Tuskegee airman to earn two sets of 
wings stands as a shining example of a man who overcame prejudice and 
discrimination in the 1940s to leave us a legacy that resulted in the 
desegregation of our armed forces and the confirmation of American 
ideal that all men are created equal.
  Whereas, Claude Rowe, will always be loved and respected and esteemed 
highly by his wife of 55 years, his 8 children and other friends, 
family and community members for his devotion to them and to civil 
rights and to America.

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