RECOGNIZING MARCH 26, 2026, AS TUSKEGEE AIRMEN COMMEMORATION DAY IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Brown

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 18

RECOGNIZING MARCH 26, 2026, AS TUSKEGEE AIRMEN COMMEMORATION DAY IN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.

WHEREAS,

the Tuskegee Airmen were a group of Black pilots, aircrew, ground crew, and support personnel of the U.S. Army Air Corps who fought in World War II; and

WHEREAS, as the first African American flying units in the U.S. military, their many successes paved the way for the desegregation of the U.S. military, which began in 1948 when President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981; and

WHEREAS,

the history of the Tuskegee Airmen dates back to World War I, when African American men attempted to serve in U.S. air units but were denied entry; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Andre Swygert of Wilmington, Delaware, one of the most knowledgeable people in our state on the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, and himself the son of a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, has thus far in the course of his research been able to identify 13 Delawareans who served in one or another of the units that were a part of the Tuskegee Airmen; and he believes that further research will reveal more Delawareans who were a part of the Tuskegee Airmen; and

WHEREAS,

according to Mr. Swygert’s research, those Delawareans known thus far to have served with the Tuskegee Airmen include the following:

John H. Porter, Pilot, 44-C-SE;

Fred T. Johnson, Navigator, 45-12A;

Clayo T. Rice, Pilot, 45-A-SE;

James O. Handy, Mechanic, 99th Fighter Squadron;

Littleton P. Mitchell, Simulator Instructor;

James E. Talton, Flight Officer, 45-F-TE;

Donald S. Jamison, Flight Officer, 45-F-TE;

Louis R. Purnell, Pilot, 45-B-SE;

Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, Intelligence Officer, 477

th

Bomb Group;

Artishia Stephens, Special Order Clerk;

Henry Smith, Armorer;

Maxwell Honemond, Liaison Pilot, US Army;

Nathan Thomas, Information/Education Specialist;

John E. Brown, Jr., 617

th

BS, 477

th

Bomb Group;

David L. Dempsey, 617

th

BS, 477

th

Bomb Group;

Saralie Draper, Squadron A, 118

th

AAFBU;

George A. Laws, 590

th

Mat’l Squadron; and

James H. Money, 66

th

AAFFTD Medical Detachment; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Swygert has noted that “the database of all participants in the ‘Tuskegee Experience’ consists of approximately 14,000 names” and that “further research may uncover additional personnel from Delaware;” and

WHEREAS, another important note is that many of these men and women-those from Delaware and elsewhere- went on to have very distinguished careers in many fields in civilian life after World War II; and

WHEREAS,

by 1939, only 25 African Americans were licensed pilots in the United States; this stark inequity finally forced Congress to act and, on June 27, 1939, Congress passed the Civilian Pilot Training Act, which established a government-funded program to train civilian pilots through colleges and universities and prohibited exclusion from these programs based on race;

and

WHEREAS,

6 Historically Black Colleges and Universities participated in the pilot training program: Howard University, Delaware State College, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T, Tuskegee Institute, and West Virginia State College; and

WHEREAS, these programs laid the groundwork for the extraordinary achievements of African American Aviators in World War II;

and

WHEREAS,

the illustrious service record of the

Tuskegee Airmen began on March 19, 1941, when the United States Army Air Corps officially constituted the 99

th

Pursuit Squadron as the first all-Black combat squadron in the United States Armed Forces; and

WHEREAS, the 99

th

Pursuit Squadron was trained at the newly constructed Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, a few miles away from the Tuskegee Institute;

and

WHEREAS,

by June 1943, the renamed 99

th

Fighter Squadron was flying combat missions over Sicily and the Mediterranean, supporting Allied bombers, naval formations, and other offensives; and

WHEREAS, the Tuskegee Airmen scored several aerial victories against German FW-190s, BF-109s, and ME-262s, eventually earning three Distinguished Unit Citations in combat missions over the Mediterranean and Central Europe;

and

WHEREAS,

by the end of World War II, 3 other all-Black Fighter Squadrons were activated, all under the 332

nd

Fighter Group, as well as the 477th Bombardment Group flying B-25 medium bombers; and

WHEREAS, despite their successes, the Tuskegee Airmen endured extreme adversity, including notably prejudiced and unsuccessful attempts to disband the 332

nd

Fighter Group; and

WHEREAS, the Tuskegee Airmen would fly over 15,000 combat sorties in World War II and receive 744 air medals, including 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, and 8 Purple Hearts;

and

WHEREAS

,

as World War II ended, the Tuskegee Airmen in the 477

th

Bombardment Group staged a nonviolent demonstration to desegregate the officer’s club at Freeman Field, Indiana; and

WHEREAS, their demonstration for racial equity, staged between April 5 and 6, 1945, would prove to be a catalyst for the eventual desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces; and

WHEREAS, after World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen won one last aerial victory in 1949 when they won the first ever U.S. Air Force Aerial Gunnery Competition (propeller), now known as “Top Gun,” beating the best pilots in the U.S. Air Force; and

WHEREAS, by July 1949, the 332

nd

Fighter Group, the 477

th

Bombardment Group, and all other all-Black Aviation units of the U.S. Air Force were deactivated as the U.S. military finally moved toward full racial integration; and

WHEREAS

, the Tuskegee Airmen achieved unparalleled success, not just for their martial excellence but for their grit and determination as a trailblazing unit that would prove segregation a failed and unjust policy.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware that March 26, 2026, is recognized as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in the State of Delaware.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the 153

rd

General Assembly of the State of Delaware encourages all Delawareans to commemorate this day by attending appropriate ceremonies, including the Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day Celebration & Aviation Expo, which is being held on March 26, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.at Delaware State University.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes March 26, 2026, as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in the State of Delaware.

Author: Senator Brown