World War II: The Tuskegee Airmen

During World War II the Tuskegee airmen also known as “Red Tails” were the first African-American servicemen that served as aviators in the United States armed forces. They were officially known as the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Air Forces. The all-Black, 332nd Fighter Group consisted originally of four fighter squadrons, the 99th, the 100th, the 301st and the 302nd. The 332nd Fighter Group of the Army Air Corps was sought to be one of the best units to ever fly in World War II.

During the time the Tuskegee Airmen were formed the Jim Crow laws were still in place. There had never been a U.S. military pilot. African Americans were rejected during World War I and fought to become members of the

The surrounding area was racist as well. Many businesses in the area refused to give black officers their service. A laundry mat wouldn’t even wash their uniforms but would wash captured German’s uniforms. These despicable actions did not last long. “In 1948, President Harry Truman enacted Executive Order No. 9981 - directing equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces, which in time led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces.”

From 1941 to 1946, 992 pilots were trained in Tuskegee. 84 of those pilots lost their lives in accidents or during combat. One misconception is that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber. This is obviously not true. Many of the Tuskegee Airmen went on to become successful businessmen or stayed in the United States Air force. The program helped this group of men earn advanced degrees. They were successful in social policy, law, politics, education, medicine, and

For example, the movie “The Tuskegee Airmen” is a HBO movie based on the first African American combat pilots. The movie was released in 1995 but however wasn’t released on DVD until the year of 2001. As stated in one of the websites below “The Tuskegee Airmen is a movie about commitment, discipline and courage.” The director Robert Markowitz hoped to introduce children to another step in the long road that black African Americans had to take toward achieving racial equality. To conclude, The Tuskegee Airmen was a great part of our African American history. They went above and beyond to protect our country. One might even say and believe “They were our country's best defense...and its greatest