Congressman John Lewis To Present The Award April 18

Heroically they fought and served defending against the spread of Nazism during WWII and spearheading integration within all units of the United States Armed Forces, but for an unknown number of surviving Tuskegee Airmen, formal recognition is something that still has not come.

On Apr. 18, (Good Friday), U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) will present replica of the Congressional Gold Medal to one such hero; Tuskegee Airman Harry Rock.

Born in New York City on Dec. 31, 1923, Rock entered into active service with the Army Corps on Apr. 12, 1943, effectively becoming a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen--the nation's first African-American military aviation unit. Over the span of two years, Rock served the WWII effort in a myriad of roles ranging from Medical Basic to Basic Training Quartermaster, until honorable discharge in 1945. He transitioned into long-standing careers with the United States Postal Service and Sanford Realty, tucking away his life as a soldier--as many others did.

Rock's contributions as a Tuskegee were recalled again however in 2012, after a chance meeting with his comrades during a Sam's Club store presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen. Rock, in wheelchair, urged his caretaker Glenda Hill, to take him to the presentation, rather than their planned shopping excursion. Hill then introduced Rock as a fellow Tuskegee Airman, igniting efforts to verify Rock's wartime service and status as a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA).

"This is the circumstance of several Tuskegee Airmen who are under the public radar," said Arit Essien, a former PR Officer for the Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, who originally submitted Rock's military documents for official verification.

"Some Airmen regrettably pass away before family members uncover service records detailing their contributions; such as Sgt. Clifford King. The verification process is very stringent, and necessary, as there are incidents of individuals portraying Tuskegee Airmen, when they in fact are not. Tuskegee Airmen are all who served in the Tuskegee Airmen program--enlisted or civilian--between the years of 1941-1949...That is Mr. Rock."

Essien began the campaign for Rock's service to be officially vetted and for the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, with the aid of Dekalb County SCLC and the National Congress of Black Women, Atlanta Youth Chapter.

Obtaining verification alas, Rock was invited the following year in 2013, as a distinguished guest to the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, but declining health disabled him from attending. In May 2013, he was recognized by the Atlanta Braves during a Braves Heritage Week tribute. Rock gleefully sang the national anthem on-field, enjoying the awe of the moment--but family and friends say he aspired still to one day receive the Congressional Gold Medal.

Now, more than sixty years following the end of his military career, and seven years from the year his Airmen colleagues collectively were issued the Congressional Gold Medal, Rock will also receive his.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the nation's highest civilian honor issued by Congress. In 2007, the medal was collectively bestowed upon the Tuskegee Airmen, with members receiving 3-inch bronze replicas from then President George Bush, in a Washington, D.C. ceremony. The original Congressional Gold Medal remaining permanently housed in the Smithsonian. Rock will receive the same replica as that of his peers on Apr. 18, from Rep. Lewis.

Dekalb SCLC President Nathan Knight, who met Rock also during the Sam's Club program, says that a personal promise made to Rock, and unwavering regard for the Airmen fueled his commitment to pursue honoring the WWII veteran. "The Tuskegee Airmen were front-line troops of the civil rights movement. They served at the height of segregation. My very own father served during that time, in WWII, where he took bullets earning a Purple Heart. I lived on a segregated Fort Bragg, where my Uncle was stationed for the Korean Conflict. There, I witnessed the oaths that were taken. One thing I learned is that a soldier is never to be left behind. Veterans from all ranks and branches of the military sacrificed the ultimate for the freedoms we have." said Knight.

The Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony will include special presentations by various individuals and organizations including:

• Dekalb County Police Honor Guard
• Tuskegee Mayor Johnny Ford
• Surviving Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen
• Sallie N. Levine, Georgia Commission on the Holocaust
• Richard Harker, KSU Dept. of Museums, Archives & Rare Books
• Youth, military and civic groups

(Pictured: Rock (center) with Tuskegee Airmen Colleagues, members of the Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, former Atlanta Chapter Tuskegee Airmen PR Officer Arit Essien (lady), and Dekalb SCLC President Nathan Knight (kneeling), during initial meeting at Sam's Club, Lithonia GA, Oct 27, 2012)

FMI: www.tuskegeeairmen.org