Tuskegee Airmen to Be Honored by Congress

It's been quite a while since the Tuskegee Airmen took flight at a small Alabama air base, but they're finally getting some due praise. The Tuskegee Airmen flew in World War II and were thought to be the first African American pilots to leave the ground. Though they trained well and fought with great success, most of the heroes returned home from their tour of duty to find a nation that still discriminated against them because they were black.

Congress is ready to do their part in honoring the war heroes, though. Thursday, members of the legendary group will meet at the Capitol to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. That award, which will be presented at the Rotunda, is the highest honor that Congress can bestow.

It's a fitting tribute to some of the bravest fighters in one of America's greatest conflicts. Each of the airmen was a volunteer fighter and all that most wanted was an opportunity to serve their country. Upon learning the ins and outs of aviation, the group became one of the military's most successful units. They are noted for running cover missions for bomber planes that dropped bombs all over Europe.

If it's an honor that they're giving, the Airmen aren't complaining. For some, it's about time.

"It's never too late for your country to say that you've done a great job for us," Ret. Col. Elmer D. Jones, 89, of Arlington, Va., said in an recent interview with ABC. Jones served with the Tuskegee Airmen as a maintenance officer.

President Bush and as many as 300 others are expected to be on hand for the ceremony, which will honor the Tuskegee Airmen for both their excellent military service and their advanced meaning to the convoluted social scene of the 1940s. They became more than just war veterans. They were the victim of racism even before their planes left the ground. The Airmen weren't allowed to participate in training activities with white pilots because of U.S. military policy. When they returned home from the fight for freedom, they found no such liberty as America found itself in the thick of rampant racism against black people.