AN ACT to designate the fourth Thursday of March of every year as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in north carolina.

Whereas, in 1941 the federal government established the 66th Air Force Flying School at Tuskegee Institute to train African‑American pilots for the war; and

Whereas, from 1941 through 1946, almost 1,000 African‑Americans trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama; and

Whereas, 450 of the men who completed training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field were sent overseas for combat duty; and

Whereas, pilots trained at Tuskegee Institute were known as Tuskegee Airmen, although this phrase also later included navigators, bombardiers, instructors, and maintenance and support staff; and

Whereas, the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first class trained at Tuskegee Institute, was sent to North Africa in the spring of 1943 for combat duty and in 1944, they were joined by other African‑American squadrons to form the 332nd Fighter Squadron, which flew missions over Sicily, the Mediterranean, and North Africa; and

Whereas, the Tuskegee Airmen compiled an outstanding record, which included completing more than 1,500 missions, destroying 260 enemy aircraft, sinking an enemy destroyer, and demolishing other enemy installation areas; and

Whereas, the Tuskegee Airmen achieved an exceptional record for escorting bomber crews and earned the respect of their fellow bomber crews and their military leaders; and

Whereas, on March 27, 2007, President George W. Bush awarded the Tuskegee Airmen the Congressional Gold, the highest medal awarded by the United States Congress; and

Whereas, it is fitting that the State of North Carolina designate the fourth Thursday of March, of each year, to honor and perpetuate the legacy of the men and women who participated in the Tuskegee Experience from January 1941 through July 1949; Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Chapter 103 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:

§ 103‑19.  Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.

The fourth Thursday of March is designated as Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day in North Carolina.

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.