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Veterans Day event honors legacy of Lt. Col. John Mosley

Mosley was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen.

AURORA, Colo. — Eric Mosley honors his father every day by wearing his command pilot wings on his wrist. 

Lt. Col. John Mosley was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. On Veterans Day, his legacy was celebrated at an event led by Rep. Jason Crow. 

Mosley trained as a bomber pilot and served in World War II. He also excelled at CSU, where he played football and was named vice president of his class. 

Eric Mosley said his dad was the best of the best. 

"Every time I consider his accomplishments and every time I think that things are challenging and where to go next, I consider his experiences and the things that he overcame and when he overcame them, and I realize that anything is possible," Eric Mosley said. 

Crow, an Army veteran, introduced a bill this summer to name a new Aurora VA community-based outpatient clinic after Mosley. Lawmakers in Washington passed the bill in September. Now, it just needs the president's signature.

RELATED: New Aurora VA clinic to be named for civil rights activist John Mosley

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. The Tuskegee Airmen were founded in 1941 and ceased operation in 1946, after flying more than 15,000 missions during World War II. 

In 1948, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which officially desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces and mandated equality of treatment and opportunity.

Lt. Col. James Harvey is the last remaining Colorado Tuskegee Airman. He is 97 years old. 

RELATED: Tuskegee Airmen honored with Central 70 Project signage

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