Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C,I-Big Flats) had the opportunity to honor the Tuskegee Airmen on their 75th Anniversary. The Tuskegee Airmen were pilots who served in a segregated unit during World War II. The airmen honored were Audley Coulthurst, William J. Johnson, Wilford R. DeFour and Herbert C. Thorpe.

“Our chamber was in the presence of real live American heroes,” Friend said. “The Tuskegee Airmen fought selflessly as part of the Greatest Generation and helped to defeat the greatest threats Western Civilization had ever known. They served on behalf of a country that still forced them to sit at segregated lunch tables and ride in the back of buses. They served for a love of country and a sense of citizenship. It was truly an honor to meet these men.”