Sgt. Amelia Jones, a veteran of the original Tuskegee

Sgt. Amelia Jones, a veteran of the original Tuskegee Airman, and John McCaskill, a park ranger for the National Park Services, pose for a photo with Jones’ bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal at Hospice Savannah, April 19. Jones, a 95-year-old veteran of the Tuskegee Airmen, was presented her bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal, by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga, along with Brig. Gen. James Blackburn and Command Sgt. Maj. Stanley Varner, command team for Task Force Marne, 3rd Infantry Division. The actual Congressional Gold Medal is one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States, and was awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen as a group in 2007. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. However, social pressures resulted in the formation of an all African-American squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen refers to all pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. The Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Richard Wrigley 3rd ID, Public Affairs)