[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3676]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING RETIRED LIEUTENANT COLONEL LEO GRAY

  (Mr. Klein of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. KLEIN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Retired 
Lieutenant Colonel Leo Gray, a resident of Dania Beach and one of the 
original Tuskegee Airmen, the legendary African American fighter pilots 
of World War II.
  As you know, February is Black History Month, and it is up to all of 
us to recognize and celebrate achievements in black history.
  Lieutenant Colonel Gray and his colleagues are heroes not only of 
African American history but of American history. Their brave and 
daring missions over enemy territory contributed to our victory in 
World War II and helped convince President Truman to desegregate our 
military.
  The Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal, the 
Nation's highest civilian honor, in 2007 and were invited to witness 
President Obama's historic inauguration this January.
  Yet despite this recognition, Lieutenant Colonel Gray remains rooted 
in our south Florida community, attending public events to inspire the 
next generation of African American, and simply American, heroes.

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