What's Happening in Aurora, CO…

Legislation has been introduced in Colorado to name an outpatient Veterans Administration (VA) hospital to open in Aurora after John Mosley.

Mosley was a native of Denver to be one of the first Black pilots in the military to serve as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Mosley’s grandson, John-Claude Futrell, said that his grandfather did his best to take advantage of all opportunities available at the time and to ensure that others had access to other such resources in the military.

Mosley attended Manual High School in Denver and was the valedictorian of his class. He then went on to Colorado State University in Fort Collins and was the first Black player on the college’s football team. When the United States joined World War II, he knew he wanted to serve as a pilot and pushed to become a Tuskegee Airman.

Representative Jason Crow, who introduced the bill, said that the next step is naming the clinic is to get support from all members of the delegation in the Colorado House. Crow added that the rest of this year will require getting co-sponsorships and having committee hearings the rest of the year. He is hoping that the bill will be approved this year. More information about such bills and their progress throughout the year can be made known throughout the community with flyer printing.

The VA clinic in Aurora is expected to open next summer.