[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27734]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        A MAN OF HONOR, A LIFE OF VALOR (CAPTAIN RICHARD MACON)

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 18, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to a great 
American. CPT Richard Macon was not only a hero to this country, but an 
example of how true tenacity can overcome any obstacle. Richard Macon, 
a prestigious Tuskegee Airmen and one of this country's most skilled 
pilots, taught us that determination and commitment have the ability to 
help one achieve his/her dreams. Captain Macon also taught us that even 
the ugly head of discrimination and institutional racism cannot 
suppress the enduring American spirit which keeps this country a leader 
in the world.
  Macon, with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, joined the Army Air 
Forces in 1943 and graduated from the segregated flying school for 
black airmen at Tuskegee, AL, to become a fighter pilot. Lt. Macon 
served as a replacement pilot with the 99th Fighter Squadron and had 16 
successful missions to his credit. On August 12, 1944, he was strafing 
ground targets over southern France when his P-51 Mustang was hit by 
ground fire while escorting bombers over a German radar station. His 
plane was flipped upside down at treetop level and the right wing 
separated. Macon learned that his plane had crashed into a building 
used by the Germans as a headquarters, killing 40 German officers and 
soldiers. Macon's neck was broken and the lower part of his body was 
temporarily paralyzed. Narrowly missing being shot by a firing squad, 
he became a war prisoner for more than 9 months. Captain Macon is 
quoted as saying, ``It was the greatest feeling in the world, seeing 
them tear down the swastika and raising the stars and stripes.'' That 
feeling was tempered when he returned home on a troop ship at Boston 
Harbor. There he was greeted by the grim reality that African Americans 
still had a long way to go. At the end of the gangplank were 2 
directional signs: White go this way and colored go this way,'' he 
said. ``Uh huh, the war is just starting.'' Captain Macon's decorations 
include the Air Medal, Presidential Citation and Purple Heart. He 
retired with the rank of Captain.
  Macon's life itself is a lesson in how to succeed but Richard Macon's 
desire to teach others led him to acquire a master's degree and join 
the ranks of public education, teaching at the high school level at 
Northern High School and progressing to the level of principal and 
personnel administration in his later years. He was a truly caring 
person who enjoyed helping others and believed in education as a means 
of bettering oneself. We will remember him as an officer, a gentleman, 
a teacher, and a leader amongst men of greatness.

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