Public Invited to Ribbon Cutting for Newly Named Terminal at Dubuque Regional Airport

The Dubuque Regional Airport Commission and Staff, partnering with Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Captain Robert L. Martin Commemoration Committee, invite the public to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for the naming of the Dubuque Regional Airport Terminal after Captain Robert L. Martin July 19, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at the Dubuque Regional Airport Terminal

Captain Robert L. Martin was born in Dubuque on February 9, 1919 and graduated from Dubuque Senior High School.  He was an original member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a Black segregated aviator group in the US Army Air Corps. At the age of 23, the man known as “Fox”, graduated from flight training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama. He joined the 100th Fighter Squadron, part of the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group. In 1945, while flying his 64th mission, Captain Martin’s plane was hit by enemy fire. He bailed out and landed behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. After a month at an Allied mission manned by British soldiers, Captain Martin was airlifted to Italy and eventually returned home.

Captain Martin received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart. In 2007, he was among the recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony honoring the Tuskegee Airmen.

New terminal naming, monument signage, educational video loop and materials will ensure the legacy of Captain Martin and the Tuskegee Airmen continues to live on. The terminal name also enhances the airport's role as a source of community pride, drawing students, visitors and civic organizations constructing indoor and outdoor signage and monument, as well as adding an educational component for visitors to the terminal.

The Captain Robert L. Martin Terminal Naming Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Dubuque Regional Airport Terminal, located at 10965 Aviation Drive, Dubuque, Iowa.  At 6:00 p.m. the ceremony program will commence. The event will conclude at 8:00 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public.  Complimentary refreshments will be available.  The terminal will be following any CDC guidelines if applicable.