Posted: | March 15, 2017 12:06 AM |
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From: | Senator Randy Vulakovich |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Resolution Honoring the 76th Anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen |
Next week, I plan to introduce a resolution honoring the 76th anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American military pilots who served honorably during World War II. On March 22, 1941, with the threat of involvement in a global war looming, the U.S. Army Air Corps 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated, becoming the first African-American fighter squadron. After having been trained at a segregated air base named Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, these elite military pilots became known as the first Tuskegee Airmen. As World War II reached American shores, all subsequent African-American military pilots trained in Tuskegee would be known as Tuskegee Airmen. Eventually, the Tuskegee Airmen would form the famous 332nd Fighter Group, which was also known as the "Red Tails" due to the distinctive red markings on the tails of their aircraft. During World War II, approximately 1,000 African-American pilots became Tuskegee Airmen. Combined, they flew over 15,000 sorties, and lost 66 men in the line of duty, demonstrating one of the lowest loss records of any escort fighter group. Please join me in sponsoring this resolution honoring the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. |
Introduced as SR50