Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historical Commemoration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supporters ask committee to recognize Tuskegee Airmen with March commemoration
Summary
Former pilots, chapter leaders and veterans’ advocates told the committee that designating the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day would honor Massachusetts residents who served in World War II and help preserve local and aviation history.
Veterans, chapter leaders and historians urged the Joint Committee to approve bills designating the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.
Witnesses reminded the committee that members of the Tuskegee Airmen — pilots and the large corps of mechanics, navigators, nurses and other support personnel — served in segregated units during World War II and later helped desegregate the U.S. military. Testifiers emphasized local ties: several speakers named Massachusetts residents who trained or served as part of the Tuskegee experience and described the value of preserving that history for youth and aviation career outreach.
The New England chapter of Tuskegee Airmen and local historians said the recognition would be a low‑cost way for the Commonwealth to honor those veterans and recommended unanimous committee passage. The committee took testimony from chapter representatives and stated it would include written materials in the legislative record; no bill vote took place at the hearing.
