Rob Portman: “I am pleased to come to the Senate floor today to speak in support of a bill sponsored by the entire Ohio delegation…”

“I am pleased to come to the Senate floor today to speak in support of a bill sponsored by the entire Ohio delegation naming the post office in Avondale--of Cincinnati, OH--for two World War II aviators: John Leahr and Herbert Heilbrun. These two remarkable men--one Black and one White--grew up in Avondale, which is a neighborhood which is part of Cincinnati, OH. They dreamed of flying and signed up for the Army Air Corps after Pearl Harbor. John Leahr flew the P-51 Mustang with the Tuskegee Airmen, and Herb Heilbrun flew the B-17 bomber. The Tuskegee fighters were assigned to protect the bombers in the European theater. John and Herb worked together on some of the same missions, but as World War II airmen, they were segregated and did not interact. They didn't get to know each other until more than 50 years after the war ended. In 1997, Herb Heilbrun discovered that an event for the Tuskegee Airmen was going to be held in downtown Cincinnati. He decided to stop by and thank the fighter pilots who helped protect him and his bomber and his bomber squad in Europe. There, Herb met John Leahr, and the two men hit it off and discovered how much they had in common. They found out they had both grown up in Avondale and both spent time waiting for training working at the same engine plant: Wright Aeronautical in Lockland, OH. They realized they had been in the same third grade class at North Avondale Elementary School.…”