Mike Levin: “today I would like to make my colleagues aware of my intention, when the 109th Congress convenes in January, 2005, to…”

“today I would like to make my colleagues aware of my intention, when the 109th Congress convenes in January, 2005, to introduce bipartisan legislation, to authorize the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the Tuskegee Airmen. 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 largely college-educated Tuskegee Airmen overcame the enormous challenges of prejudice and discrimination, succeeding, despite obstacles that threatened failure. What made these men exceptional was their willingness to leave their families and put their lives on the line to defend rights that were denied them here at home. Former Senator Bill Cohen, in remarks on the floor of the Senate in July of 1995 summed it up this way: . . . I listened to the stories of the Tuskegee airmen and . . . the turmoil they experienced fighting in World War II, feeling they had to fight two enemies: one called Hitler, the other called racism in this country.”