Charles Skelton: “I wish to compliment the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters) for her foresight in offering this resolution.…”

“I wish to compliment the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Maxine Waters) for her foresight in offering this resolution. I think it is a very, very appropriate one, particularly realizing that I am from Missouri, and that this past weekend, I had the honor of speaking at the commissioning of the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman in Norfolk, Virginia. So I think it is entirely appropriate that I commemorate 50 years of racial integration in the armed services. It was President Harry Truman, a fellow Missourian, who took the courageous and historic action in signing Executive Order 9981. President Truman had seen many examples of sacrifice by soldiers and airmen which proved that segregation was incompatible with the values of our Nation: the Tuskegee airmen, who never lost a bomber they accompanied, showed the high quality of black pilots; the heroism of Dory Miller, who manned a machine gun, in violation of the Navy's then segregationist policies, to defend Pearl Harbor against the Japanese invasion. For his brave actions, he was awarded a Navy cross for two confirmed kills on Japanese aircraft. While integration of our military has not been without difficulty, this executive order was a giant step forward in the quality of our force. Take a good look at it today. It works, and it works well.”