Heroic Black WWII pilots may finally get a monument in Washington

(Tribune News Service) WASHINGTON — Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, has signed onto bipartisan legislation that would establish a memorial to the Tuskegee Airmen on federal land in the Washington, D.C., area.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military pilots in U.S. history. Trained at Moton Field and the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Ala., they flew more than 15,000 sorties escorting Allied bombers over Europe during World War II.

Its aviators earned dozens of Distinguished Flying Crosses. Their success helped encourage racial desegregation of the U.S. armed forces in 1948.

Past federal recognition of the Tuskegee Airmen has come in other forms. Congress awarded the group the Congressional Gold Medal. The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site opened in 2008 at Moton Field, where the original pilots trained

The new legislation sponsored and authored by Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., would authorize the nonprofit, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., to establish a memorial to commemorate the service, sacrifice, and enduring legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The memorial would teach future generations about one of the most celebrated fighting forces in American history, and highlight the critical roles that Black military pilots and support personnel played in securing Allied victory in World War II.

“While facing horrific discrimination at home, these men risked their lives to defend rights and freedoms abroad,” Figures said in a statement. “Their courage, skill, and unwavering dedication not only contributed to the Allied victory but also helped pave the way for the desegregation of the U.S. military.”

Sykes is among the legislation’s bipartisan cosponsors, which include Alabama’s entire U.S. House of Representatives delegation, Congressional Black Caucus chair Yvette Clarke of New York, and Washington, D.C. congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton.

A statement from Tuskegee Airman, Inc., first vice president Angela Holmes called the bill’s introduction “a vital milestone in our ongoing mission to preserve and honor the legacy of our nation’s pioneering heroes.”

“As we see the final generation of our original members passing, establishing a permanent landmark in Washington, D.C., ensures that their monumental contributions to military integration, excellence, and civil rights will never be forgotten by future generations,” Holmes said.

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