[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3319-H3320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE STORY OF BRAD AND DONALD LANG, SR.

  (Mr. Quigley of Illinois was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, ``diversity'' has become a bad word here in 
D.C., but diversity has never been a weakness. It has always been our 
greatest strength.
  Without the calculations of Katherine Johnson, a Black mathematician 
at NASA, American astronauts may never have successfully returned from 
space.
  Without the code talkers, Native Americans who turned their 
indigenous language into an unbreakable code, American soldiers may not 
have been victorious in the Second World War.
  Without the bravery of the Tuskegee Airmen who courageously flew into 
battle abroad, despite facing discrimination at home, the freedom of 
all Americans might have been at risk.
  Throughout this Nation's history, countless people have had to fight 
for their right to be included. My good friend Brad Lang, and his 
father, Donald, are powerful examples of that fight.
  In 1942, Donald W. Lang, Sr., enlisted in the Army with dreams of 
becoming a pilot. Like many men at the time, Donald felt it was his 
duty to serve his country, but despite scoring well on the aptitude 
test, he, like many other qualified Black men, was forced to wait while 
White pilots were fast-tracked for training.
  By the time he was accepted for pilot training at the Tuskegee 
Institute in Alabama in 1945, the Second World War was coming to a 
close.
  While he never made it overseas, Mr. Lang rose to the rank of master 
sergeant at the Army Air Corps, received three medals for his service, 
and served directly under Colonel Noel Parrish, the commander of the 
Tuskegee program.
  Mr. Lang didn't open up about his military service until his son, 
Brad, showed an interest in aviation in the 1970s. On Sundays after 
church, Donald would take his family to Newark Airport to watch flights 
take off and land. That is where Brad's fascination with airline flying 
began.
  A decade later, he achieved what his father couldn't do. Brad earned 
his pilot's license in college before enrolling as the only Black 
student in Purdue University's aviation program. At a time when Black 
pilots were still rare, he became a captain for Delta Air Lines.
  Through it all, he never forgot to pay homage to those who made his 
career in aviation possible. He volunteered with a Commemorative Air 
Force Red Tail Squadron for 29 years to ensure that his father's legacy 
and that of the Tuskegee Airmen is preserved and shared.

[[Page H3320]]

  In 2015, Brad participated in the arsenal of democracy flyover to 
mark the 70th anniversary of victory in Europe. He flew a P-51C Mustang 
``Tuskegee Airmen'' over the Capitol in a tribute to our Nation's first 
Black military pilots.
  He once said about his father: ``His experience at Tuskegee was a 
paramount experience for him in terms of directing his life after the 
military. He would always relate to the discipline and the moral 
integrity that was part of the esprit de corps that was at Tuskegee. . 
. . He was motivated to see other people like himself, motivated to 
aviate and also fight for the country. They all had that common core 
experience.''
  Brad and his father, Donald's, story is an American story. It is a 
story of a father whose dreams were denied and a son who honored his 
legacy by breaking barriers of his own. It is a story of persistence, 
pride, and progress. Brad captured it best when he said: ``No matter 
what the circumstances that you are up against, it is possible to rise 
against adversity, just like the airmen did, and succeed in life.''

  Their story is a reminder that American progress has also depended on 
those who persevered in the face of prejudice. Their story shows that 
diversity is not a threat nor a weakness. It is a competitive 
advantage. It is a source of national strength. It has driven 
innovation, expanded opportunity, and is a common theme throughout our 
shared American story.
  In a time of rising division, these stories call upon us to remember 
who we are at our best: a nation that does not just tolerate 
differences but draws power from them.

                          ____________________