Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who volunteered to become America's first black military airmen. They came from every section of America, with large numbers coming from New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. Each one possessed a strong personal desire to serve the United States of America proudly and to the best of his ability as an airman, even while many other Americans felt that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism.

Those who possessed the physical and mental qualifications and were accepted for aviation cadet training were trained initially to be pilots, and later to be either pilots, navigators, or bombardiers. Most were college graduates or undergraduates, while the remainder demonstrated their academic qualifications through comprehensive entrance examinations. No standards were lowered for those black pilots and other airmen trained as operations officers, meteorologists, intelligence officers, engineering officers, flight surgeons, etc. Still others were trained to be aircraft and engine mechanics, armament specialists, radio repairmen, parachute riggers, control tower operators, admini

The 99th Squadron distinguished itself by being awarded two Presidential Unit Citations (June-July 1943 and May 1944) for outstanding tactical air support and aerial combat in the 12th Air Force in Italy, before joining the 332nd Fighter Group.

After the 332nd Fighter Group departed Selfridge Field, Michigan in December 1943 to go overseas, the remainder of the black airmen personnel on the base comprised mostly of the 477th Medium Bombardment Group. They were treated as "trainees", and all of the black officers were denied access to base officers' club.

Black navigators, bombardiers and bomber gunnery crews were trained at selected military bases elsewhere in the United States. Black Americans began training as aircraft and engine mechanics at Chanute Air Base in Rantoul, Illinois in 1941 before being assigned to Tuskegee in 1942, where subsequent mechanics were trained after facilities were in place.

Four hundred and fifty of the pilots were trained at Tuskegee served overseas in either the 99th Pursuit Squadron (later the 99th Fighter Squadron) or the 332nd Fighter Group. The 99th Fighter Squadron trained in and flew P-40 Warhawks in combat in North Africa, Sicily and Italy from April 1943 until July 1944 when they were transferred to the 332nd Fighter Group in the 15th Air Force.

Some topics in this essay:
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