MARKHAM, Ill. (AP) -- State officials are renaming part of Interstate 57 in northern Illinois to honor black pilots who served during World War II.
Gov. Pat Quinn and other officials announced Monday that portions of the roadway will be called "Tuskegee Airman Memorial Trail."
The airmen were the first group of black pilots to ever fly for the U.S. military. The first unit of the Tuskegee Airmen wasn't activated in Tuskegee, Ala., but at an Army Air Corps training facility in Rantoul, in central Illinois.
Original members of the Tuskegee Airmen were also present, including Bev Dunjill. He says the country has come a long way in terms of racial equality.
They unveiled a sign that will be placed along I-57 during an event in the Chicago suburb of Markham.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
