    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 29, 2007]
    [Pages 358-359]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee
    Airmen
    March 29, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Thank you. Madam Speaker, Mr. Leader, Members of
    Congress, Secretary Powell, distinguished
    guests: You know, the Speaker and I had the honor of having our picture
    taken with you, and as I walked into the rotunda, a place that
    occasionally I get invited up here and I walk into, I was impressed by
    the fact that I wasn't amongst heroes who were statues; I was impressed
    that I was amongst heroes who still live. I thank you for the honor you
    have brought to our country. And the medal you're about to receive means
    our country honors you, and rightly so.
        And I want to thank Senator Carl Levin and
    Sergeant Rangel. [Laughter] Excuse me, Mr.
    Chairman. I thank you for your leadership on this issue. I have a strong
    interest in World War II airmen; I was raised by one. He flew with a group of brave young men who endured
    difficult times in the defense of our country.
        Yet for all they sacrificed and all they lost, in a way, they were
    very fortunate, because they never had the burden of having their every
    mission, their every success, their every failure viewed through the
    color of their skin. Nobody told them they were a credit to their race.
    Nobody refused to return their salutes. Nobody expected them to bear the
    daily humiliations while wearing the uniform of their country.
        It was different for the men in this room. When America entered
    World War II, it might have been easy for them to do little for our
    country. After all, the country didn't do much for them. Even the Nazis
    asked

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    why African American men would fight for a country that treated them so
    unfairly. Yet the Tuskegee Airmen were eager to join up.
        You know, I'm interested in the story about a young man who was so
    worried that the Army might change its mind about allowing him to fly,
    that he drove immediately to the train station. He left his car, as well
    as $1,000 worth of photography equipment. He never saw his car, he never
    saw his camera, but he became a flyer.
        These men in our presence felt a special sense of urgency. They were
    fighting two wars: One was in Europe, and the other took place in the
    hearts and minds of our citizens. That's why we're here. The white
    commander of the Tuskegee airfield was once asked, with all seriousness,
    ``How do African Americans fly?'' Kind of reflecting the ignorance of
    the times, they said, ``How do African Americans fly?'' He said, ``Oh,
    they fly just like everybody else flies--stick and rudder.'' [Laughter]
        Soon, Americans in their kitchens and living rooms were reading the
    headlines. You probably didn't realize it at the time, but you were
    making headlines at home, headlines that spoke about daring pilots
    winning a common battle.
        And little by little, every victory at war was translated to a
    victory here in the United States. And we're in the presence of men who
    are earning those victories, important victories, leaders who pierced
    the unquestioned prejudices of a different society. You gave African
    Americans a sense of pride and possibility.
        You saw that pride and awe--I'm sure you remember--in the faces of
    young children who came up to you right after the war and tugged on your
    uniforms and said, ``Mister, can you really fly an airplane?'' Some of
    you have been in Germany and Iraq, and you still see that sense of
    pride.
        I appreciate your going. I appreciate the fact that one of our young
    soldiers today took pictures for a--of you for a scrapbook for his
    children. I appreciate the fact that one of our soldiers today said:
    ``It is not often that you get a chance to meet the guys who have paved
    the path for you.''
        The Tuskegee Airmen helped win a war, and you helped change our
    Nation for the better. Yours is the story of the human spirit, and it
    ends like all great stories do--with wisdom and lessons and hope for
    tomorrow. And the medal that we confer today means that we're doing a
    small part to ensure that your story will be told and honored for
    generations to come.
        And I would like to offer a gesture to help atone for all the
    unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities. And so, on behalf of
    the Office I hold and a country that honors you, I salute you for the
    service to the United States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:23 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol. In his
    remarks, he referred to former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. The
    Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of these remarks.