BILL NUMBER: S1688
SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to designating the fourth
Thursday in March as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day"
 
PURPOSE:
This bill would designate the fourth Thursday in March to be commem-
orated as "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day" in New York State.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends subdivision 3 of section 168-a of the executive law to
designate the fourth Thursday in March to be commemorated as "Tuskegee
Airmen Commemoration Day" in New York State.
Section 2: Sets effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day honors 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,
Alabama. 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."
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 Tuskegee airmen fought with courage and dignity on behalf of their
country. The 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, another
Tuskegee Airmen Squadron earned three Distinguished Unit Citations.
Collectively, the Tuskegee airmen earned fourteen Bronze Stars, one
hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses, seven hundred and
forty-four Air Medals, and eight Purple Hearts.
In other firsts, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans to
work as U. S. Army Flight Surgeon 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 train-
ing 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.
By enacting this bill into law, New York State would grant much-deserved
recognition to the Tuskegee Airmen, who-despite facing racism both with-
in and outside the military-courageously served their country and ensure
that their heroic legacy lives on in history.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Senate
2020: S7316, Referred to Finance
2021: S1847, Passed Senate
2022: S1847, Passed Senate
2023: S440, Passed Senate
2024: S440, Passed Senate
Assembly
2020: A9717, Referred to Governmental Operations
2021: A704, Referred to Governmental Operations
2022: A704, Referred to Governmental Operations
2023: A932, Referred to Governmental Operations
2024: A932, Referred to Governmental Operations
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S1688: 168-a executive law, 168-a(3) executive law