Primarily made up African-American fighters, the bill would remember the excellent combat record of these veterans and give recognition to a particular member that hailed from the nearby area. The holiday would take place on the fourth Thursday in March, and was initially proposed by Sen. James Skoufis, D-Cornwall. In the bill’s justification Skoufis noted the importance of some of the first African-American to serve as pilots. This was done through the Tuskegee program, an initiative began in 1941 at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala.

“African-Americans were allowed to start training as airmen in response to the era’s civil rights movement, specifically, pressure put on the Air Force by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The individuals who first participated in this program were known as “Red Tails,” said Skoufuis. “The fourth Thursday in March was chosen to honor the group because it was in March 1941 that the first Tuskegee airmen completed their training and earned their wings. It was also the fourth Thursday in March 2007, when former President George W. Bush awarded the Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to work as U. S. Army Flight Surgeons, and the first to be admitted into the U. S. Army School of Aviation Medicine. Cornwall additionally noted that three other states have already adopted some sort of day that would celebrate the Tuskegee airmen. These states include Arizona, Colorado, and Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The bill has gained a significant amount of bipartisan support from New York legislators. The bill currently has three Democratic co-sponsors and six Republican co-sponsors, including Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay. Borrello expressed during a recent hearing that one of the airmen even hailed from Allegheny County.

A Tuskegee Airman.

“I want to take this moment to recognize a now late member of the Tuskegee Airmen, also a resident in my senate district,” Borrello said on the Senate floor. “Wallice “Wally” Higgins of Alleghany County was among the distinguished group of American Heroes. Wally Higgins was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, part of a historic generation of Black servicemen who answered their country’s call at a time when the same country was still marked by segregation and discrimination. He was recruited into the army in 1953, before he finished high school and sent South for training where he was selected for the Tuskegee program, said Borello. “A commemoration date ensures that men like Wally Higgins are not forgotten, and that the future generations understand both what they overcame and achieved.”

State law currently has recognition dates for veterans of the Gulf War, Vietnam War, and Korean War, Prisoners of War, women veterans, and Gold Star Mothers. Supporters of this legislation hope to see more dates to encapsulate as many of the veterans that have served as possible.

The bill most recently passed the state Senate on March 30, and was delivered to the Assembly where it has been referred to the Governmental Operations Committee. Borrello said the bill has been introduced by Skoufis five times previously. Almost every time the bill has passed the Senate just to die in the Assembly.

AP Photo A full-sized replica of the P-51 Mustang flown by the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II is displayed in a museum in Tuskegee, AL.