Academy to honor Tuskegee Airmen Thursday

  • Published
  • By U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
  • Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  The Academy will honor the Tuskegee Airmen with a wreath-laying ceremony and a parade 10:30 a.m., Thursday.

The Tuskegee Airmen were African-Americans who during a time of segregation in the military, trained at Tuskegee, Ala.

By the end of the war, 992 men had graduated from pilot training; 355 were sent overseas for combat, flying fighters on ground attack and bomber escort missions over North Africa and Europe. 

The wreath-laying will take place on the Honor Court here near the Cadet Chapel followed by the parade on the terrazzo.

After the parade, a luncheon will be held in Arnold Hall Ballroom featuring retired Col. James Stewart, a career fighter pilot and founding director of the National Museum of the World War II Aviation Project, as the guest speaker.

The Tuskegee Airmen collectively received the Congressional Gold Medal March 29, 2007 in Washington D.C., the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress.