By Richard O. Jones

From left to right: Carla Thomas, daughter of posthumous Congressional Gold Medalist Charles Ledbetter, Robert Porter, president of the Buford Johnson Tuskegee Airmen Chapter, Robert L. Boyd, Congressional Gold Medalist, and Buford Johnson, Congressional Gold Medalist.

President George W. Bush presented the Congressional Gold Medal to about 300 Tuskegee Airmen on March 29, 2007 at the US Capitol. However, the Congressional Gold Medal should not be confused with the Medal of Honor (commonly called the Congressional Medal of Honor), which is also awarded by Congress, but only to military members as the highest military decoration of the United States. A Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award, which may be bestowed by the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the United States government. The decoration is awarded to any individual who performs an outstanding deed or act of service to the security, prosperity, and national interest of the United States.

Charles Ledbetter

"As a crew chief," Robert Boyd explained, "it was my job to see that the mechanical work on the Tuskegee Airmen planes or ‘Red Tails' as they called ‘em was in top shape. They didn't let us work on the planes flown by white pilots... ‘til after we showed em." Boyd served in the Air Force from 1942-1945. He later join the United States Post Office and retired after 42 years of service as a mailman.

Buford Johnson was also a crew chief and ground support. Buford, who the chapter is named in honor of busied himself after receiving his CGM with administrative duties and let it be known that their chapter was raising scholarships funds for students and recruiting youth to be trained at Flabob Airport in Riverside as pilots.

"My father Charles Ledbetter past away in 2004," said Carla Thomas. "He was a gunner. He didn't fly the planes but he flew with the pilots. He was wounded in battle but continued. He retired a thirty-year veteran. I'm proud to receive the medal in his behalf."

"Ledbetter was my mentor and also a mentor to many of these men in this chapter, including our president Robert Porter," said Don Phillips, 54-year-old retired marine. "Even in death, Ledbetter is a positive force to this country."

"These guys are receiving an award long overdue," said Joe Weaver another retired military man. "They were heroes and didn't even know it until the Tuskegee Airman movie came out a few years ago. Nobody told them that they were heroes. They sure weren't treated like it until now."