It may not seem like much, but the state Legislature’s inability to pass legislation honoring the Tuskegee Airmen is the epitome of legislative dysfunction.

The state Senate this week passed, for the second time in two years, legislation making the fourth Thursday in March as “Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day” in New York state. The Senate has approved the bill unanimously in each of the past two years, but the bill was not approved by the state Assembly last year.

“Today, here we are standing on the fourth Tuesday of March and we still do not have a Tuskegee Airman Commemoration Day here in New York state,” Borrello said. “That’s kind of sad because we’re voting on this bill for the second time. I’m wondering to myself what could possibly stop someone from wanting to make this happen in New York state? So I would ask that this hopefully will be taken up in the other house, in the Assembly. And something as noncontroversial as this could become a day to honor these brave men, who we have lost so many of already. In my opinion this is kind of an example of governmental dysfunction at probably its finest. And I would hope that we could actually do something as simple as this and truly honor these brave men who served so well to defend our nation.”

Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day would honor the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African Americans allowed to serve as aviators in the United States Armed Forces. The Tuskegee Airmen served during World War II.

The Tuskegee program began in 1941 at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Ala. African Americans were allowed to begin 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.”

Moton Field, where the African American pilots trained, would come to be known as the Tuskegee Army Airfield. The nearby Maxwell Field was used exclusively by white pilots.

In March 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron became the first group to complete its training. The Squadron deployed first to North Africa in April 1943, then to Sicily and mainland Italy. The next group to finish training was the 332nd Fighter Group. This group consisted of the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons. These airmen were deployed to Italy in July 1944.

The 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, another-Tuskegee airmen squadron, earned three Distinguished Unit Citations. Collectively, the Tuskegee airmen earned 14 Bronze Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 744 Air Medals, and eight Purple Hearts.

In other firsts, the Tuskegee airmen were the first African Americans to work as U. S. Army Flight Surgeons as well as the first African Americans to be admitted into the U. S. Army School of Aviation Medicine.

After the close of World War II, some of the Tuskegee airmen continued to serve in the United States Air Force, while others became flight instructors.

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.

Three states (Arizona, Colorado, and Virginia) and the District of Columbia have already adopted the fourth Thursday in March as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day. New York state is home to several surviving Tuskegee Airmen, including William Johnson, Reginald Brewster, Herbert Thorpe, and Albert Beckett.

New York state executive law currently commemorates specific calendar days for veterans of the Gulf War, Vietnam War, and Korean War as well as for Prisoners of War, women veterans, and Gold Star Mothers. The Battle of Plattsburgh, the War of 1812, and the attack on Pearl Harbor are similarly commemorated.

Borrello had a personal reason to vote for the bill while encouraging Assembly leadership to take up the bill as well.

“It was almost 30 years ago when I was a young business owner attending my first restaurant association show in Chicago where I had the pleasure of meeting one of the Tuskegee Airmen from that area,” Borrello said. “He told us amazing stories about what it was like to serve his country in that time, how proud, patriotic he was. Although I cannot remember his name I do recall he could drink scotch like nobody’s business. It was really an amazing experience for me. I’d never met anyone quite like that. His life afterwards was even more amazing as he told me his stories.”