Tuskegee Airmen honored at bridge dedication

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
BOSTON --  Members of the community, including the Patriot Honor Guard, came together July 17 to dedicate a bridge over Morton Street in Dorchester on American Legion Highway to honor the many contributions made by the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

Last spring, Mayor Thomas M. Menino provided the community with the opportunity to choose a name for the bridge on American Legion Highway. Children from the Boys & Girls Club chose the name to pay tribute to these American heroes.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States armed forces.

"I'd like to thank Mayor Menino and the people of Boston for this memorial bridge, which celebrates the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen," said Willie Shellman, Tuskegee Airmen Inc. New England Chapter president, "I am proud to be involved with this dedication. Although we all trained in Tuskegee, Alabama, the Airmen were from cities and towns throughout the country. It is heartwarming for me to join today with other New Englanders to dedicate this bridge as a tribute to our important accomplishments."

The dedication of the Tuskegee Airmen Bridge signifies completion of a multi-year project designed to make significant engineering and aesthetic improvements to American Legion Highway.

"The reconstruction of this bridge and American Legion Highway has been a true community project and I thank all of our partners for their dedication to seeing it through," said Menino. "It is wonderful to see our community come together to honor the Tuskegee Airmen as well as all of our service men and women. I can't think of a more fitting tribute on American Legion Highway."