Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen were Black pilots, aircrew, ground crew, and support personnel who served in the Army Air Corps from 1941 to 1949; Whereas 992 Tuskegee Airmen graduated flight training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, and 450 pilots deployed into combat overseas; Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen faced enormous adversity, from overcrowded classrooms to bigoted officers and segregated facilities; Whereas, during World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen flew over 15,000 combat sorties and saw extensive action in the European and North African theaters; Whereas 84 Tuskegee Airmen were killed in action, 12 died during training and noncombat missions, and 32 were taken prisoners of war after their planes were shot down; Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen earned 744 Air Medals, 14 Bronze Stars, and 8 Purple Hearts; Whereas, in 1945, Tuskegee Airmen in the 477th Bombardment Group staged a nonviolent demonstration to desegregate the officer’s club at Freeman Field, Indiana, and their nonviolent direct action would inspire later civil rights protesters; Whereas the Tuskegee Airmen’s battle against fascism abroad and racism at home has been called a Double Victory and led President Truman to issue Executive Order 9981, integrating the Armed Forces; Whereas four Tuskegee Airmen, Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Daniel Chappie James, Lucius Theus, and Charles McGee, later became generals in the Air Force; Whereas, in 2006, a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces was signed into law ( Public Law 109–213 ); Whereas, in 2008, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site opened at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama, to commemorate and interpret the heroic actions of the Tuskegee Airmen; and Whereas very few Tuskegee Airmen are still alive today to share their story of courage and bravery with younger Americans: Now, therefore, be it