Congressman Thomas Suozzi

Congressman Tom Suozzi (D – Long Island, Queens) visited and spent some time with William “Joe” Johnson, a Tuskegee Airman and Glen Cove hometown hero. The Congressman presented Mr. Johnson with an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol. Additionally, he listened to the veteran’s stories of his service to our country during World War II, the racial barriers that he had to overcome to become an aviator and his idyllic childhood growing up in Glen Cove. “Joe Johnson is one of my hometown heroes. He personifies all that I love about Glen Cove,” said Suozzi. “As part of the ‘Greatest Generation’, he persevered to overcome racial barriers and served our country proudly during World War II. ’Never Forget the Vet’ is so much more than a hashtag. It is important that we sit down and listen to the stories of bravery and heroism of those who fought for the liberties that we enjoy today.” “Glen Cove was a wonderful community to grow up in. I lived on Cottage Row across from the church. There were ten in my family. We went fishing, swimming…I thought I was Huckleberry Finn,” said Johnson. “I was the only black male in my graduating class. My teachers were great, even though there were no black teachers. I grew up with everyone together, especially the Italians.” The fourth of nine children, Joe was born in 1925 in North Carolina. When he was four years old, his family moved to Glen Cove to escape the racism that was so pervasive in the south. Johnson graduated from Glen Cove High School in 1943 and then joined the Army Air Corps. Growing up on Long Island, the “Cradle of Aviation”, Johnson knew he wanted to become a pilot. He applied for the U.S. Army Air Corps flight training program and began pilot training at Tuskegee Airfield in Alabama in 1944. After the war, Johnson attended college and then returned to his hometown of Glen Cove, where he raised three children. He worked at Grumman Aerospace for 28 years, eventually becoming a supervisor, and retired in 1990. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps (AAC), a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. Activated as the 99th Pursuit Squadron in September of 1941 at Chanute Field, Illinois, the Squadron trained at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama, becoming known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The squadron included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, and instructors. During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa, earning more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses. After the war in Europe ended in 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen returned to the U.S., where racial segregation remained the rule in both the U.S. armed forces, as well as throughout much of the country. Their exemplary service paved the way for the racial integration of the military. In 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, mandating equality of opportunity and treatment to all in the U.S. armed forces, effectively setting the stage for racial integration throughout other areas of American society. “When you were a Tuskegee Airman, the color of your skin didn’t matter, the content of your character did,” said Johnson. “I loved flying and the Tuskegee Airman gave me a chance, just like everybody else. It was my greatest adventure, and I am blessed to have been a participant.” ###

The Long Island Sound is our "National Park". Throughout my entire career in public service, as Mayor of Glen Cove, Nassau County Executive, and now as a Member of Congress, I have made preserving and protecting the Long Island Sound a top priority. As Co-Chair of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus, I was able to secure $21 million to preserve and protect the Sound through House Appropriations this year. This is an increase of $17 million since I was elected to Congress. In August, the environmental group Save the Sound released their Long Island Sound Beach Report. While the report outlines progress made over the last 20 years, it emphasizes the need to remain vigilant by reducing nitrogen runoff and improving stormwater management and sewage infrastructure. Working together with local, town, county, and state officials as well as local environmental groups, we can preserve, protect and improve the Sound for generations to come.

Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) met three veterans of the D-Day invasion on Monday before his trip to Normandy to mark the landing's 75th anniversary. He plans to visit the graves of 21 soldiers from his congressional district interred at the Normandy American Cemetery.

In June, I traveled to Normandy, France as part of a bipartisan delegation to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Before I left, While in Normandy, I visited the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, paying my respects to the 21 soldiers from the 3rd Congressional District who perished during the Battle of Normandy, including five who are listed as missing in action and are memorialized at the Tablets of the Missing. I also paid my respects at the grave of Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., leaving some soil from his childhood home of Sagamore Hill. At age 56, General Roosevelt was the oldest soldier in the D-Day invasion and the only general to land by sea with the first wave of troops. Using a cane due to arthritis, General Roosevelt calmly urged his troops on amidst the incredible attacks. He survived D-Day, but succumbed to a heart attack 5 weeks later. Upon my return, I paid my respects to four soldiers from the 3rd Congressional District that perished during the Battle of Normandy and are interred at Long Island National Cemetery. I laid wreaths and some sand from the beach in Normandy on their graves. May we never forget the service and sacrifice of our "Greatest Generation."

Eliminating the state and local tax (SALT) deduction was a punch in the gut to middle-class families in our district, and something that I have been fighting to fully repeal since its 2017 inception. In June, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing that focused on the impact of the 2017 Republican tax law, which capped the SALT deduction at $10,000. I invited Bayville Mayor Bob De Natale to testify about the negative effect the SALT cap is having on his village, and across the Island.