Rep. Harper to Present Congressional Gold Medal to Tuskegee Airman

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper (R–Miss.) will honor Johnny C. Whitfield of Monticello with the Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony Friday, July 27, 2012. The 2:00 p.m. event will be held at the Lawrence County Courthouse and is open to the public.

“During a time when our nation was divided by racial segregation, these brave pilots overcame enormous prejudice and discrimination to defend our independence,” said Harper. “Their perseverance taught Americans that skin color does not impede an airmen’s ability to fight for freedom, and their determination led to the integration of our military.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were the Armed Forces’ first African-American aviators and inspired revolutionary reforms in the United States’ military. A 2006 law designated the Tuskegee Airmen as recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal for their acts of heroism during World War II. The original gold medal remains on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.

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