NYC Honorary Street Names | ||
"#" Honorary Streets: Queens100th Infantry Division Boulevard (Queens) Present name:None Location:Intersection of Bell Boulevard and 212th Street Honoree: The 100th Infantry Division went into battle in early November 1944. In 185 days of uninterrupted ground combat, it captured over 400 cities, towns and villages, defeated major elements of eight German divisions, and took 13,351 prisoners. In doing so, it sustained 916 soldiers killed in action, 3,656 wounded and lost 180 men missing in action. LL:2003/34 163rd Drive (Queens) Present name:James Court Location:Between 104th Street and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “James Court” as “163rd Drive” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored James Court as a co-name. LL:2009/46 163rd Road (Queens) Present name:Burlingham Court Location:Between 104th and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “Burlingham Court” as “163rd Road” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored Burlingham Court as a co-name. LL:2009/46 164th Avenue (Queens) Present name:McKee Avenue Location:Between 104th Street and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “McKee Avenue,” as “164th Avenue” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored McKee Avenue as a co-name. LL:2009/46 164th Drive (Queens) Present name:Moncriff Drive Location:Between 104th Street and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “Moncriff Drive” as “164th Drive” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored Moncriff Court as a co-name. LL:2009/46 164th Road (Queens) Present name:Calhoun Road Location:Between 104th Street and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “Calhoun Road” as “164th Road” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored Calhoun Road as a co-name. LL:2009/46 165th Avenue (Queens) Present name:Lockwood Court Location:Between 104th Street and Hawtree Basin Honoree: This bill renamed “Lockwood Court,” in Queens, as “165th Avenue” and amended the official map of the City of New York accordingly. A subsequent bill restored Lockwood Court as a co-name. LL:2009/46 26th Regiment United States Colored Troops Drive (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 159th Street Honoree: The 26th Regiment United States Colored Troops was an African-American combat unit formed in 1864 in New York. The regiment fought in the American Civil War. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. August Harvey Martin Street (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the north corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 160th Street Honoree: August Harvey Martin (1919-1968) was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. After the war, he became the first African-American to captain a U.S. commercial air carrier for Seaboard World Airlines, one of the largest air cargo companies in the country at that time. The airline played a notable role during the Vietnam War, flying cargo jets from Washington State to the front lines. He also helped establish Negro Airmen International, the first black civilian aviation organization in the U.S. He was killed during a mercy mission to Biafra, Africa while trying to land on a highway during a rainstorm. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. Haldane King Corner (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the northeast corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 150th Street Honoree: Haldane King (1921-2013), born in Brooklyn, earned an athletic scholarship to Long Island University where he played on championship teams under Coach Clair Bee. In early 1942, he volunteered for military service in World War II, entering pilot training in Tuskegee, Alabama as a member of the first class 43J of African-American bomber pilots in the Army Air Corps. After military service, he returned to New York and became one of the first African-Americans to join the New York Fire Department. He was recalled into the newly integrated Air Force in 1950 and went to Germany as part of the Army of Occupation after WWII. He later moved to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and often spoke at local schools and community events about his experiences in the military (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. Harry A. Sheppard Corner (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southeast corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 150th Street Honoree: Harry A. Sheppard (1917-2003) enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 1, 1941. He was one of the first African-Americans accepted for aircraft maintenance training in the Air Corps and was assigned to the 99th Pursuit Squadron. He served with the Tuskegee Airmen and flew 123 combat missions. He earned the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters.(Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. Samuel Lynn Corner (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the northwest corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 148th Street Honoree: Samuel Lynn (1920-2000) was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen who flew in Europe during WWII. He also fought in the Korean War and later retired from the Air Force after a 24-year career. He received the Bronze Star and Commander of the Year award in 1965. After his career in the military, he became a regional director for the United States Department of Labor in New York. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. Victor Terrelonge Corner (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the northeast corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and Sutphin Boulevard Honoree: Victor Terrelonge (1923-2011) was born in Jamaica, West Indies and moved to the United States at the age of 15 He graduated from Aviation High School in Queens, in 1942, enrolled City College of New York to obtain a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps in 1943 and was transferred to Tuskegee, Alabama where he trained as a pilot and becme a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He was a founding member of the Claude B. Govan Tri State Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. The chapter supported youth education and success beyond high school by providing scholarships to hundreds of needy students from the area. He, along with the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Medal of Honor presented by President George W. Bush (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmn Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 2nd Lt. William M. “Wild Bill” Wheeler Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southeast corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 153rd Street Honoree: William M. Wheeler (1923-2011) volunteered as a United States Army Air Corps pilot and was inducted in March 1943. He was transferred to the Tuskegee Institute and earned his wings as a fighter pilot in March 1944 and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron in Ramitelli, Italy and carried out bomber escort missions over Europe. His combat career was cut short on his sixth mission when a respiratory ailment caused him to black out at 36,000 feet. Luckily, he regained consciousness at 8,000 feet. He was honorably discharged in 1945. He, along with the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Medal of Honor presented by then-President George W. Bush (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 332nd Fighter Group Corner (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Union Hall Street and Tuskegee Airmen Way Honoree: The 332nd Fighter Group was commanded by Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr, who was later the first three-star general in the Air Corps. The Group was one of seven assigned to escort heavy bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force on raids against enemy targets in southern and central Europe. During World War II, the Group was responsible for shooting down 112 enemy aircraft, as well as knocking out over 600 railroad cars and sinking one destroyer and 40 boats and barges. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 35T1H4 A1V4E1N1U1E1 (Queens) Present name:None Location:Southeast corner of 35th Avenue and 81st Street Honoree: During the Depression, unemployed architect Alfred Mosher Butts perfected the game of Scrabble at Community Methodist Church. In 1995, a sign was erected this corner but had to be removed in 2008 because it did not comply with NYCDOT policies. This co-naming restores the sign. LL:2011/47 369th Infantry Regiment “Harlem Hellfighters” Lane (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the north corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 159th Street Honoree: New York's 369th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, was the first African-American regiment to serve with the American Expeditionary Force during WWI. The nickname Hellfighters was given to them by the Germans for their toughness. They never lost a man through capture; lost a trench; or lost a foot of ground to the enemy. The regiment was demobilized on February 28, 1919, at Camp Upton at Yaphank, New York. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 452nd Anti-Aircraft Drive (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 156th Street Honoree: The 452nd Anti-Aircraft Artillery was an all-African-American anti-aircraft artillery unit of the United States Army during WWII. It comprised approximately 1,000 soldiers. The unit was credited with having shot down 88 German warplanes which is the highest number of such kills credited to an all-African-American unit during the war. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmaen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion Lane (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southeast corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 157th Street Honoree: The 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, all African-American and all volunteers, did not serve overseas during World War II, but in May 1945 it was sent to the west coast to fight forest fires ignited by Japanese incendiary balloons. Although this threat did not materialize, the 555th participated in dangerous fire-fighting missions throughout the Pacific Northwest, earning the nicknames "Smoke Jumpers" and "Triple Nickles." In October 1945, the battalion was attached to the elite 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. It was inactivated in 1947, with most of its personnel reassigned to the division's 3rd Battalion, 505th Airborne Infantry. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 5th Bombardment Squadron Memorial Way (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the intersection of Hillside Avenue and 239th Street Honoree: The 5th Bombardment Squadron was based in Mitchel Field on Long Island. In the early morning of June 17, 1940, two Army B-18 bombers took off from Mitchel Field on for training drills. At 8:49 a.m., while the planes were flying at approximately 2,500 feet, the two Army B-18s locked wings, burst into flames and crashed into the residential community of Bellerose, Queens below. Local residents, many of whom were women, desperately tried to save the victims of the plane crash before the fire department and emergency medical staff arrived. Neighbors used garden hoses, a fire extinguisher and blankets to treat burn victims and put out fires. Three fire trucks, two engines and a rescue squad responded to the crash. Ultimately, the efforts of the community and the first responders were not enough to overcome the impact of the crash and the flames from the burning aviation fuel. All eleven Army Airmen were killed as was Mrs. Emily Kraft, who died the next day from burns received after her home was set ablaze by one of the planes. (Grodenchik) LL:2021/14 761st Tank Battalion Avenue (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the north corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 156th Street Honoree: The 761st Tank Battalion, later known as the Black Panther Tank Battalion, was deployed to Europe in October 1944 and assigned to Gen. George S. Patton Jr.'s Third Army. They spearheaded a number of Patton's moves into enemy territory. Forcing a gap in the Siegfried Line, they allowing Patton's 4th Armored Division to pour through into Germany. They fought in France, Belgium, and Germany, and were among the first American forces to link up with the Soviet Army at the River Steyr in Austria. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 92nd Infantry Division Avenue (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the southwest corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 155th Street Honoree: The 92nd Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army during WWI and WWII. The unit was formed in Kansas consisting of African-American draftees. During WWII, the 92nd Infantry served in the Italian Campaign from 1944 until the War’s end. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 99th Flying Training Squadron Drive (Queens) Present name:None Location:At the north corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 154th Stree Honoree: On January 16, 1941, the War Department announced the formation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, an African-American unit, and of the Tuskegee Institute training program. Its first graduating class included Col. (later Gen.) Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who became the commanding officer of the 99th Fighter Squadron and later the 332nd Fighter Group. The 99th Fighter Squadron flew its first combat mission against the island of Pantelleria on June 2, 1943. Later the squadron, operating from its base in North Africa, supported the invasion of Italy and participated in the air battle against Sicily. The 332nd Fighter Group flew more than 3,000 missions in Europe and destroyed almost 300 enemy planes. Eighty-eight of the group's pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.] LL:2014/34 |
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