Congressional Gold Medal for Fort Wayne Tuskegee Airman

The United States will honor the Tuskegee Airmen and Fort Wayne Harold L. Gaulden will be among those who will receive a Congressional Medal. William Douglas, of McClatchy Newspapers writes

[o]n March 29, the United States will honor the Tuskegee Airmen by awarding the group the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress. About 300 airmen, out of the nearly 1,000 trained at Tuskegee, will attend the ceremony in the Capitol's rotunda.

It was less than three months ago that H.L Gaulden tried to explain the significant of the coin that was in his hand at a community Kwanzaa event held at Weisser Park Center. The coin was not the real thing, he shared. The design was being worked out, and that was the hold up. Gaulden was unsure when the medal would be ready, as he touched the replicate. The Tuskegee Airmen were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal but Gaulden wanted folks to know that this time he and the rest were going to get the real thing. Not just the old funny looking coin he was holding in his hand.

The real thing must have seemed as elusive as the opportunity for Tuskegee airmen to fly planes in combat. But Gaulden knew it was going to happen. He just had to continue to wait.

Gaulden who was born and raised in Grambling, Louisiana served as a member of the 386 Fire and Rescue Squad, according to an article by Linda Oliver, during World War II.

In 1941, the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated in Illinois and became the core of what later became called the Tuskegee program. At the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, the university founded by Booker T. Washington, trainees went through ground, tactical and flying training under the leadership of Benjamin O. Davis Jr., one of the few African-American soldiers at that time to have graduated from West Point

, according to the DC Traveler.

President Franklin Roosevelt, wife Eleanor Franklin was reported to have flown with the Tuskegee Airmen. The late Charles Anderson, the famed pilot was reported to have taken Mrs. Franklin on an hour long flight. Pilots were believed to be inferior pilots based on their skin color. The "Chief" as Anderson was known was reported to be the first African-American pilot to hold an air transport license, according to an article by Shelly Hatfield.

The Chief was one of those who earned their wings, as the Fighting 99th squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group. Anderson would become the chief flight instructor thus his nickname. Anderson will not be among the 300 men at the Capitol, he died April 13, 1996.

According to a Mcclatchy-tribune,

Democratic Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York and Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan introduced identical bills in 2005 to give the airmen the congressional medal. The Senate bill passed in October 2005 and the House followed in February 2006. President Bush signed the bill into law in April.

Rangel introduced his bill because he knew about Tuskegee's legacy and personally knew former fliers like Brown. Levin's interest developed from Michigan's connection to the Tuskegee program. In its later years, some of Tuskegee's training shifted to Michigan's Selfridge and Oscoda fields. And former Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young trained through the Tuskegee program as a navigator bombardier.

Gaulden will finally receive his bronze Congressional Medal. The gold medal will remain behind in Washington D.C. at the Smithsonian. But one thing for certain, Mr. Gaulden will tell those who want to hear all about it.