On March 29, more than 60 years after bravely serving their country, a group of African-American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. It is the highest honor that Congress gives civilians.
The Tuskegee Airmen took part in an Army Air Corps program for blacks during World War II. It was a time of racial divisions and discrimination. Nearly 1,000 black fighter pilots trained at an air base in Tuskegee, Alabama. They were not allowed to train with white pilots.
President George W. Bush saluted the airmen at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. "They were fighting two wars. One was in Europe, and the other took place in the hearts and minds of our citizens," he said.
The Tuskegee Airmen flew thousands of missions. Dozens of the pilots died in combat.
The medal will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. Each airman will receive a replica. About 300 airmen and their families and friends attended the awards ceremony on Capitol Hill. "It's never too late for your country to say, 'You've done a great job for us,'" says retired colonel Elmer D. Jones, 89.