This year marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience.

In effort to highlight the 1941 U.S. Armed Forces experiment, on Aug. 3-7 the 40th Annual Tuskegee Airmen Convention will convene at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

The convention with this year’s theme, “70 Years of Aviation Excellence: Then, Now, the FUTURE” celebrates the legacy of the airmen who were the first Black military pilots in the armed forces. During World War II, African-Americans faced discrimination based on racist Jim Crow laws, but this group of air combat-fighters overcame adversity and flew with distinction.

Many movies have been made highlighting the actions of the brave group including Frank Martin’s Halle Berry-narrated documentary, For Love of Liberty: A Salute to America’s Black Patriots—this year’s recipient of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary.

Other films, such as Red Tails, directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas and starring Tristan Wilds, Method Man, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrance Howard and Ne-Yo, hits theaters nationwide Jan. 20, 2012.

The Tuskegee airmen are credited with directly contributing to the eventual integration of the U.S. Armed Services and the U.S. Air Force. This anniversary deserves recognition and salutations.

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(Photo: USmint.gov)