A new Fort Worth veteran nursing home will be named "The Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home."
Veterans Land Board Chairman George P. Bush, joined by Fort Worth mayor Mattie Parker and other local officials, broke ground on the state facility located at 2200 Joe B. Rushing Road.
The state's 10th veteran home is named after over 900 pilots who made up the first African American unit to fly combat airplanes in World War II.
"It is fitting to have this milestone—our 10th home—represent a new era of Veterans who redefined the meaning of bravery as some of the greatest warriors this nation has ever known," Bush said in a statement. "Warriors who fought for America’s freedom even at a time when America didn’t always give them the freedom they deserved, and in many ways, still have not gotten the credit they truly deserve for their incredible acts of service and grit."
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At least five members of the elite group, who faced blatant racism and prejudice, the Texas General Land Office said, were from the Fort Worth area.
According to a press release from the Texas GLO, the new 100,000-square-foot home can support up to 120 veterans.
The facility is adjacent to the Fort Worth VA clinic.
