AURORA | One of Colorado’s proudest sons could soon be further commemorated in Aurora following the introduction of new federal legislation Monday.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow on June 28 proposed a measure calling to name a new VA outpatient clinic in the city after the late John Mosley, a veteran of at least three American military conflicts and the first Black football player at Colorado State University.
Trained with the Tuskegee Airmen in Alabama during World War II, Mosley eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S Air Force after a decades-long military career that also included service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Along with his wife, Edna, Mosley was stalwart Black activist in Colorado until his death in 2015 at age 93.
“LTC John Mosley was a trailblazer who broke down barriers wherever he went, from college football to the United States Air Force,” Crow said in a statement. “His commitment to serving his nation and our community in the face of discrimination is an inspiration and reminder to us all that the promise of this country is in those who are determined to improve our imperfections.
The son of a slave, John Mosley was the valedictorian at Manual High School in the late 1930s and the first Black man to earn a varsity letter for the CSU football team in the early 1940s.
Edna Mosley was the fist Black person to be elected to the Aurora City Council in 1991, and she went on to serve three terms. She died a year before her husband at age 89.
In 2015, Aurora Public Schools named its newest primary school in the eastern portion of the city after the couple.
Omar Montgomery, president of the Aurora branch of the NAACP, lauded Crow’s new measure.
“Lt. Col John W. Mosley had a history of breaking racial barriers in Colorado prior to joining the military by being the first African American to letter in football at Colorado State University,” he said in a statement. “He also was a Civil Rights advocate and was a role model to many African American pilots. Congressman Crow has been engaged with the community since being elected to Congress, so it means a lot to the Aurora Branch of the NAACP that he is taking the lead to recognize a Lt. Col John W. Mosley who is a national hero to this country and especially the African American Community.”
The new outpatient clinic that will serve veterans from across the region is set to open in Aurora next summer.
I am glad to see “my” worthless representative can maybe find something he can get done. His access to those he represents is censured by a threatening warning that he will punish anyone he does not like their actions as “threatening a legislature” Can’t even make a suggestion or ask a question. He is an embarrassment to the military (medal for doing the very least) and his “elected” position.