(Washington, D.C.) March 29, 2007 - The Tuskegee Airmen were honored at the highest levels Thursday. Sixty years ago, they came home from World War II to a country that discriminated against them because they were black.
The Tuskegee Airmen - a group made up of nearly 1,000 African-American pilots - were recruited into an Army Air Corps program on orders from President Roosevelt but were met with skepticism and racism.
They flew more than 16,000 flights in World War II. They escorted bombers in raids over Europe and North Africa.
Now Congress is honoring the airmen. The group received the Congressional Gold Medal Thursday at the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. The award was part of a bill signed last April.
House Majority Whip James Clyburn commented, "It brings me great joy to see the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor presented to the Tuskegee Airmen. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor the Congress can give to civilians and I can think of no better recipients than those who broke the racial barriers in the Armed Forces. The 996 original Airmen and the 10,000 men and women who made up the vital support staff, altered history in a very positive way. They opened doors to professional careers for African-Americans in every walk of life.
"I am proud to say that many of the Tuskegee Airmen trained at the Walterboro Army Air Field in my Congressional District in South Carolina. A memorial to these brave men and women stands there today. The value I see in my life's work is to help shatter the myths about African-Americans and the story of the Tuskegee Airmen reinforces the importance of all of us doing so."
Retired Colonel Elmer Jones says it's never too late to be acknowledged for good work. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Walter McCreary says it's long overdue.
Updated 10:16pm by Chantelle Janelle with AP
