Hawai’i Senate to Honor World War II Tuskegee Veterans

State Capitol photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

Members of the Tuskegee Airmen will be honored by the Hawai’i State Senate during the floor session on Friday, March 1, 2013.

Certificates of Recognition will be presented to Hawai’i residents Romaine Goldsborough and Philip Baham, along with Alexander Jefferson of Michigan.

“Now in their twilight years, it is important that we show these American heroes how much we appreciate the sacrifices they made for our country and their contributions to our nation’s history,” said Senator Will Espero, chair of the Senate Committee Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs.

The Tuskegee Airmen were members of the 332d Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group that flew missions from Sicily to Normandy during World War II.  They are notably the only African American pilots who served in combat at the time.

Espero notes that the Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and racial prejudice and became one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II.