Authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 15) authorizing the Rotunda of the Capitol to be used on March 29, 2007, for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution 15, which would authorize the use of the Capitol rotunda on March 29, 2007, to present a Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Tuskegee Airmen.

With the passage of the Civilian Pilot Training Act of 1939, Tuskegee University, along with various civil rights groups and the black press, began an effort to transform Federal Government policies and procedures that excluded African Americans from pilot training programs.

In this initial phase, Tuskegee Institute, which had a proven civilian pilot training program and had a history of producing graduates with the highest of flight aptitude exam scores, was awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Air Corps to help train America's first black military aviators.

Between 1940 and 1946, nearly 1,000 black pilots were trained at Tuskegee University. This undertaking produced the unrivaled Tuskegee Airmen, who are credited with not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions as air escorts, a record unmatched by any other fighter group.

The Tuskegee Airmen destroyed some 260 enemy aircraft. These brave men accumulated a total of 850 medals for their service and valor. Tuskegee University continues its legacy of leadership in aeronautics.

Today, it is the first and only Historically Black College or University to offer a degree in aerospace science

engineering. Since 1983, it has produced the largest number of black aerospace engineers of any institution in America.

In spite of the adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in the U.S. Navy and military history. The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II.

So on March 29, 2007, the President of the United States will present the Congressional Gold Medal to the survivors expected to attend the ceremony, after which the medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institution and will be displayed in the future as appropriate.

Last year, the House and Senate unanimously passed legislation brought to the floor by the Financial Services Committee to authorize the Congressional Gold Medal, which became Public Law 109-213. The bill had 310 cosponsors in the House and 77 in the Senate. Our colleague, the Honorable Charlie Rangel of New York, has worked tirelessly as the lead House sponsor of this legislation, and he has been the catalyst to ensure that these men got their rightful spot in history.

Since the House Administration Committee has jurisdiction over matters relating to the Smithsonian Institution, I am especially pleased that language was able to be worked out in the bill which would allow the Smithsonian to accept this historic medal on behalf of the American people and to display it as appropriate, including a location associated with the Tuskegee Airmen.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

On March 29 of this year, this Nation will give to its Americans, rightfully, the Congressional Gold Medal that they deserve

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 78, which authorizes the use of the Capitol Rotunda for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen. I strongly support the resolution because it is an appropriate and fitting tribute to one of the greatest groups of the Greatest Generation.

On July 19, 1941, the American Air Force created an all black flight training program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen were not only unique in their military record, but they inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces, paving the way for integration of the Armed Services in the U.S.

The first class of cadets began in July of 1941 with 13 men, all of whom had college degrees, some with PhDs and all had pilot's licenses. From all accounts, the training of the Tuskegee Airmen was an experiment established to prove that ``coloreds'' were incapable of operating expensive and complex combat aircraft. Stationed in the segregated South, the black cadets were denied rifles.

The Tuskegee Airmen were credited with 261 aircraft destroyed, 148 aircraft damaged, 15,553 combat sorties and 1,578 missions over Italy and North Africa. They destroyed or damaged over 950 units of ground transportation and escorted more than 200 bombing missions. ``We proved that the antidote to racism is excellence in performance,'' said retired LTC Herbert Carter, who started his military career as a pilot and maintenance officer with the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Fighter Squadron. Clearly, the experiment, as it was called, was an unqualified success.

The Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 3 Presidential Unit Citations, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and Legions of Merit, along with The Red Star of Yugoslavia, 9 Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars and more than 700 Air Medals and clusters. On February 28, 2006, the House passed H. Con. Res. 1259, authorizing the award of a Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen. The President signed the legislation and it became Public Law 109-213 on April 11, 2006. The concurrent resolution before us authorizes the use of the Capitol Rotunda on March 29, 2007, for the award ceremony.

I would like to thank Congressman Rangel for his tenacity in seeing to it that the contributions of Tuskegee Airmen are fully recognized and acknowledged by the people of the United States. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. Con. Res. 15, which authorizes the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen.

I would like to thank the distinguished chairman from New York (Mr. Rangel) for sponsoring the House version of this resolution. I would also like to thank my Chair of House Administration for her work as well.

All of our men and women of the armed services deserve our praise and recognition for the contributions they have made in defense of our country. It is notable that in the case of the Tuskegee Airmen they were fighting not one but two battles. As they bravely flew and maintained combat aircraft in World War II, these men also fought against the notion that somehow the color of their skin would affect their ability to courageously protect our Nation.

In 1941, the formation of the all African American squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, a group that would come to be known as the Tuskegee Airmen, was largely regarded as an experiment of the U.S. military to test the combat readiness of the all-black fighting squadron. Sadly, there were some at the time who expected or perhaps even hoped that the experiment would fail. Instead, the Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most highly regarded units of the war, fighting bravely with distinction.

Among the honors bestowed upon them, they were awarded 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 744 Air Medals, 14 Bronze Stars, and 8 Purple Hearts. I proudly support authorization of the use of the Capitol rotunda where they will be recognized once more for their bravery and for blazing a trail, not only in the sky, but in the history as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great State of California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution authorizing the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the ceremony honoring the Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal. I am pleased that S. Con. Res. 15 is currently under consideration.

As we all know, the Tuskegee Airmen were young men who enlisted to become America's first black military airmen at a time where, sadly in this country, there were many people who argued that black men lacked the necessary skills or ability to be part of an effective military force. Well, the Tuskegee Airmen effectively dispelled that notion that in any way African Americans were second-class citizens.

Mr. Speaker, although the term ``hero'' is perhaps overused in today's discourse, there is no better description of the Tuskegee Airmen. Not only were they the first black airmen to perform as they did, but they put their lives on the line for all Americans, regardless of color.

For that, we are all eternally grateful and eternally in their debt; and it is not only appropriate, but fitting, for us to take this step today. As one in his younger years who had an opportunity to meet some of these Tuskegee Airmen, I can tell you that they carried themselves with a great deal of pride in the contribution they had made to this Nation, and any conversations I had with such airmen, that is what they stressed, their contribution to this Nation.

So it is fitting that we take the time, as a thankful Nation, to give them this respect and honor them in this singular way with a Congressional Gold Medal and to have this done here at the center, at the heart of our democracy, the rotunda of the United States Capitol.