A celebration was held Thursday morning to honor a special milestone for the Tuskegee Airmen.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, incorporated, the oldest and largest chapter of the renowned airforce crew.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held, honoring local "lonely eagles" which are Black pilots who, although licensed, had to fly alone, without a flight crew as far back as 1910.
The annual ceremony coincides with "Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day" which is held at the U.S. Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia -- every fourth Thursday in March.
Offcials say this year not only marks a significant anniversary, but they "are also on the cusp of the first-ever Presidential Proclamation to be signed by President Biden in recognition of our Commemoration Day."
They said their efforts were led by Congresswomen Lisa Blunt Rochester and Eleanor Holmes Norton and our consultant, Ms. Vanessa Butler.
Norton plans to present a resolution on the floor of the U.S. Congress. The resolution designates March 23, 2023, as “Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day.”