Political Quotes

“In honor of Black History Month, I recognize Mr. Richard Hall. Mr. Hall is one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, the country's first Black military aviators in the U.S. Air Force--back then, the U.S. Army Air Corps. Born in Georgia, Hall moved to central Florida with his parents when he was 5 months old. A graduate of the Robert Hungerford Boarding School in Eatonville, Hall received a 4-year scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He joined the Army Air Force Reserves and, in 1942, was sent to fight in World War II in France. Mr. Hall was among the first African-American chief master sergeants after integration in 1949. He served his country for over three decades and completed tours on four continents, including the Korean and Vietnam wars, as well as World War II. In 2007, Mr. Hall, along with other Tuskegee Airmen, received the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush, and in central Florida, he was honored with a life-sized sculpture that sits outside of Hannibal Heritage Center in Winter Park. Mr. Hall retired to Maitland in the 1980s and continues to call central Florida his home. I was honored to be able to interview Mr. Hall last week for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, and it was an absolutely amazing story of a man from central Florida who traveled around the world defending our country and finally made it back home. Recognizing Elizabeth Jones”