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WHEREAS, the Tuskegee Airmen were African Americans enlisted into the Army Air Corp during World War II, many of whom came from Western Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, an experiment of the United States government, brought on by the lack of fighter pilots, the Tuskegee Experiment took five enlistees and sent them through fighter pilot training; and
WHEREAS, 3,450 African-American men and women were taught “separately but equally” to Caucasian members of the Army Air Corp creating the 332nd Fighter Group, a successful company of fighter pilots, airplane mechanics, meteorologists, navigators, control tower riggers, bombardiers, and all ranges of flightline support personnel; and
WHEREAS, 82 of these airmen came from Western Pennsylvania, the largest contingency of enlistees and more than from any other state, with the majority of that number coming from Pittsburgh, with five coming from Beltzhoover, 12 from Homewood, 14 from the Hill District, and four from the Northside; and
WHEREAS, the president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., is Dr. Edmund Effort, US Air Force Retired, the husband of Elaine, who is the vice president and daughter of late Master Sergeant Vurnol Leaphart, the Crew Chief of all fighter aircraft flown by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., Commanding Officer of the 332nd fighter group which flew over 15,000 sorties and 1,500 combat and bomber escort missions in North Africa, Italy, Germany, and France; and
WHEREAS, Regis Bobonis, Sr., Senior Project Manager, heads fundraising for a local memorial to be placed in an area provided by the Board of Managers of Sewickley Cemetery at the projected cost of about $75,000 (donations being received by Tuskegee Airmen Memorial, P.O. Box 183, Sewickley, Pa. 15143); and
WHEREAS, on Sunday June 5th, 2011 the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrated the Tuskegee Airmen with a series of events;
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the ...
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