TAIL MA ed IL R ® ®

CAF

N EW SLETTER Monthly Newsletter

Since our RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit® hit the road in July of 2011, it has made been seen by over 156,000 adults, but most importantly 130,000 children. Don Hinz had a vision that we could use the excitement of a flying airplane and the story of the to inspire and educate young people and that was the genesis of the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit. Every year I attend several events with the exhibit, and I have witnessed first hand the impact that we make.

Several years ago, we were set up at the Hearne, Texas airport for school tours. Photo courtesy Max Haynes Hearne is an economically depressed area in south central Texas. At the end of In This Issue - April 2019 the presentation we would bring up the lights, and I would walk into the exhibit to ask and answer questions. I asked the 3rd grade class, “What were the lessons • Leaders view of ?” A girl quickly raised her hand and was enthusiastically • Tour schedule at a glance waving, so I called on her. She stood up and with determination and conviction • Greetings from the she said, “Work Hard, Dream Big, Never Give Up!” All the hours flying cross Ambassador team country fighting difficult weather to get to events, and the nights away from • Event photos home in a hotel became totally worth it. A young girl growing up in a place • Our mission in action with limited opportunity just figured out the road map for success. • Educational resources The Six Guiding Principles© on our RISE ABOVE: Red Tail dog tags really sum • Shop with a purpose it up – Aim High, Believe in Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready to Go, Never • Quote of the month Quit, Expect to Win. It is a roadmap for life, and while I fully understand that • Profiles of Tuskegee not every kid who attends the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit® is inspired to Airmen: Robert Robinson achieve, we know that many are. • Join the Top Flight Club • And then there where It is exactly those principles we have used to overcome the adversities we have women! Tuskegee encountered in our efforts operating the program. And those principles are the Airmen Nurses roadmap for our new and exciting effort to create the next chapter to educate • Did you know and inspire, “RISE ABOVE: WASP.” The story of the Women’s Air Service Pilots will increase the impact of both the Red Tail and WASP stories through better • Virtual Museum artifcat logistics and greater access for both programs. spotlight • In your words I am very grateful for what we have achieved since those days back in that • Blue Skies Robert hangar in Minnesota, mapping out our ambitious plan. The addition of RISE McDaniel ABOVE: WASP will keep us growing and impacting more young people (and • A Tuskegee hero is buried adults) with the excitement and inspiring stories more will understand no matter 75 years after his death in what obstacles we face, we too, can “Rise Above!” World War II • Archive photos • Thank you supporters • For more information Tailwinds,

Doug Rozendaal CAF Red Tail Squadron Leader RISE ABOVE tour schedule at a glance

PLEASE CHECK OUR SCHEDULE ONLINE FOR UPDATES!

DATE EVENT LOCATION April 27-28 MCAS Beaufort Air Show Beaufort, SC RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang May 10-12 Joint Base Andrews Air Show Camp Springs, MD RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang May 15-18 LAUNCH at DuSable Museum Chicago, IL RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit May 24-26 The National Salute to America’s Heroes/Miami Miami, FL Beach Air & Sea Show RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang June 4-9 Air Show Fort Wayne, IN RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang June 12-15 Aviation Heritage Park Hangar Party Bowling Green, KY RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit July 6-7 Kansas City Air Show Kansas City, MO RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang July 22-28 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, WI RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang August 3-4 Iowa Boone, IA P-51C Mustang August 14-18 Power on the Prairie Sioux Falls, SD RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang August 20-25 Herbert Hoover National Historic Site West Branch, IA RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit September 6-8 Spirit of St. Louis Air Show & STEM Expo St. Louis, MO RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit September 14-15 Marion Wings & Wheels Marion, OH RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang September 19-22 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow Colorado Springs, RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang CO September 25-29 Bikes, Blues, BBQ, and Bombers: Arkansas Air & Fayetteville, AR Military Museum RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit & P-51C Mustang November 1-3 Salute to Military Event at Kemah Boardwalk Kemah, TX RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit

To book RISE ABOVE: Red Tail for your event contact Kristi Younkin, Senior Logistics Coordinator, at [email protected] or (479) 228-4520

Page 2 GREETINGS FROM THE AMBASSADOR TEAM!

I would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to our Ambassador Deidre McGee, who has been assisting behind the scenes with our newsletter.

Also, to our Ambassador Mark Erickson who helped us out in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the Executive Airport, Open House. Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Col. George Hardy joined us and it was a fantastic event!

If you are interested in volunteering and becoming part of the Red Tail team, please complete the online volunteer application form and a representative Volunteer Coordinator from the CAF Red Tail Squadron will contact you. Melanie Burden

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Marianne Leary & Richard Calvert

Marianne Leary and Richard Calvert are two of our enthusiastic volunteers, married for over 17 years, they live in Leawood, Kansas. Marianne’s father, Thomas Conway Leary, (now deceased) was a P-51 Pilot in WWII based in Madna, with the 2nd Fighter Squadron, 52nd Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force. Conway was shot down while on a staffing mission outside of Budapest, Hungary and was a POW for six months, spending some of his time in captivity in Stalag Luft III, made famous by the Great Escape. Marianne learned about the Tuskegee Airmen from her father. The were based at an airfield about 25 miles from where Marianne’s father was located in Italy. Marianne and Richard were inspired by Marianne’s dad and also by a good friend, , a Red Tail P-51 pilot and POW who was also held in Stalag Luft III.

Richard served in the Vietnam War as an Army Combat Medic and earned the . He completed Special Forces Training and then served with various groups and special operations in Vietnam including Long Range Reconnaissance, 101st Airborne and Dust Off Units. The South Vietnamese Army recognized Richard for making 54 combat jumps with their 1st Airborne Division. Richard followed in his uncle Robert Calvert’s footsteps, his uncle was an Army Combat Medic in WWII in the Pacific Theater.

Marianne and Richard both enjoy history, travel and attending Air Venture in Oshkosh and the Reno Air Races. They are regular volunteers for the Heartland Honor Flight in Kansas City and support numerous Veteran’s Organizations and causes. Marianne is an attorney working in the telecommunications industry and is an avid equestrian enthusiast. Richard works for a home energy audit firm and spends his spare time working on the restoration of his 1929 Dodge hot rod.

Page 3 EVENT PHOTOS To see more photos, please visit our Facebook page! Be sure to LIKE and SHARE!

Halifax Community Collage March 12 - 16

Left: Halifax Community College President Michael Elam and his wife

Page 4 Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport March 20-24

Lt. Col George Hardy posing with a group of U.S. Customs and Border Security Patrol students and instructors

Make a one-time or recurring donation to help us to ensure the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen is passed on to future generations, so that their strength of character, courage and ability to triumph over adversity may serve as a means to inspire others to RISE ABOVE obstacles in their own lives and achieve their goals!

Give online, by calling 888-928-0188, or by mail at:

CAF Red Tail Squadron 971 Hallstrom Drive Red Wing, MN 55066

Page 5 OUR MISSION IN ACTION - The message of RISE ABOVE changes lives! Meet Trevor Simoneau - we are proud to have played a small part in this young mans “rise to success”!

When I was 11 years old, I visited the DeLand Municipal Airport for an Experimental Aircraft Association Young Eagles rally. As we pulled up to the hangar, I noticed an airplane that I had always loved and admired but had only dreamed about seeing in real life. The airplane was a red-tailed P-51 Mustang. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A P-51 on the tarmac of my hometown airport. The Red Tail Squadron showcased their Rise Above Traveling Exhibit at KDED. I had basic prior knowledge about the Tuskegee Airmen. I knew they were the first black pilots to serve in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Rise Above taught me who these brave men are and the myriad obstacles they faced in order to serve our country.

The Tuskegee Airmen rose above segregation to defend a country that ironically segregated them at home and in service during World War II. Their journey enthralled me.

Determined to share their story with more students, I chose to study the Tuskegee Airmen for my National History Day project. I spent 10 months researching the Airmen. My mom and I travelled to Rantoul, Illinois to visit the Chanute Air Museum. There I learned about the 99th Pursuit Squadron’s primary flight training. We then travelled to Tuskegee, to visit the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site at Moton Field. I learned about Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. and the 332nd Fighter Group. The these men encountered while serving our country was unthinkable. While visiting Moton Field I met April Baldwin, a historian at . She invited me to research in the Tuskegee University Reading Room. I wore white gloves and reviewed historical newspapers and documents from 1940 through 1972. I was disgusted by the cultural norm of the time, segregation. I continued my research at the Air Force Historical Research Agency, , Montgomery, Alabama, with Dr. Daniel Haulman. His World War II research focuses on the Tuskegee Airmen. Together we reviewed declassified mission reports.

Volunteers working tirelessly to share the story of the Tuskegee Airmen reached out to me with a Rise Above dog tag and touched my heart that day on the tarmac. It’s no secret middle school is difficult and emotionally trying. I was facing a typical middle school bully at that time. The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s six guiding principles motivated me to rise above that bully.

1. Aim High: I will be a pilot and solo on my 16th birthday. 2. Believe In Yourself: I will not let other people tell me who I am. 3. Use Your Brain: I love to learn and be challenged. 4. Be Ready To Go: I am prepared for opportunity. 5. Never Quit: Navigating flight training, school and volunteer work is difficult. I can do this. 6. Expect To Win: I have earned success.

Tuskegee Airmen inspired me because we share a passion for aviation. I am aiming high thanks to the motivational message of the Tuskegee Airmen and their legacy, maintained by the CAF Red Tail Squadron.

Page 6 Trevor’s display honoring the Tuskegee Airmen is now on display at the Commemorative Air Force HQ in Dallas, TX

Be sure to check out the company Trevor launched! Chart It All is a small family business offering distinctive clothing and gifts with your choice of aeronautical sectional charts.

Tuskegee Airman Lt Col George Hardy sports a shirt featuring his hometown of Sarasota

Page 7 Page 8 DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE FREE RISE ABOVE RESOURCE KIT!

Looking for some guidance to integrate the lessons of the Tuskegee Airmen into your classroom or motivational program?

Download the free RISE ABOVE Resource Kit!

You’ll get access to a treasure trove of digital materials to start using right away.

Want to go a step further? Check out all the affordable supporting educational materials available!

Order a set of 20 Triumph Over Adversity – RISE ABOVE: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen booklets for only $20 or call (888) 928-0188 for custom quantities.

Also check out the Inspiration Pack to receive 50 dog tags and 50 Triumph Over Adversity – RISE ABOVE: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen booklets for only $95!!!

Want to go a step further? Check out all the affordable supporting educational materials available!

What teachers and parents say about using the RISE ABOVE Resource Kit Question How did the materials from the CAF Red Tail Squadron or visiting the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit benefit your teaching and how did your students benefit? Answer They got to learn about the Tuskegee Airmen and how they contributed to the war effort. They got to learn about their astounding record which had very few bomber loses. I now have great materials at my fingertips! Thank you so much!

Page 9 SHOP WITH WITH A PURPOSE!

Find great treasures AND honor the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen! Visit our online store at www.redtail.org/store Shipping is included for state-side orders!

332nd plush panther

Celebrate the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen with this plush mascot of the 332nd Fighter Group. The pilots and support crew of the 332nd were made up of the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons that trained to fly combat missions in the European Theater of World War II.

Order your mascot today for yourself or a special child who can be inspired by the legendary Tuskegee Airmen.

$28

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Under attack in World War II in southern Italy, Montgomery recalled Mount Vesuvius erupting at the same time his unit faced enemy fire.

“In the middle of all of this, we stood up and we said: ‘We will fight. We will fight,’ “ he recalled. “I have come here to say: ‘You can do it.’ Be smart. . . . Don’t give up. Stand and say ‘With my brain -- I will fight. I will fight. I will fight.’

“. . . And we will fight, but not in hate, but in kindness.”

~Tuskegee Airman Dabney N. Montgomery

Photo courtesy Vic Whitcroft

Page 10 PROFILES OF TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: ROBERT C. ROBINSON, JR. Class 44-G-SE 8/4/1944 2nd Lt. 0835414 Asheville, NC

Robert C. Robinson grew up in Asheville, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert C. Robinson. The senior Robinson served for many years as Manager of the Asheville and Charlotte District of North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company.

2nd Lieutenant Robinson was reported during the March, 1945 “Raid on Berlin” near the end of World War II. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Black American Legion Building in Asheville was named in his honor.

Robinson was a member of Hopkins Chapel A.M. E. Zion Church where he participated in Sunday School. He attended Asheville city schools, and was graduated from Stephens-Lee High School. His hobby of building model airplanes led him to Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, AL, from which he graduated in 1944. Following his college career, he was commissioned a second Lieutenant from the Tuskegee Airmen USA, with whom he served as a fighter pilot with the 332nd Airborne Division.

2nd Lieutenant Robinson was reported missing in action during the March, 1945 “Raid on Berlin” near the end of World War II. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. The Black American Legion Building in Asheville was named in his honor.

After his passing, he was posthumously awarded a “Purple Heart.” On August 1, 2014 at the Brewer Reunion, the family of Second Lt. Robert Clifton Robinson, Jr. held a special ceremony where they posthumously awarded him the “Congressional Gold Medal” like the one Tuskegee Airmen had received in March 29, 2007 from President George Bush. At that time the President, members of Congress and other dignitaries joined some 300 airmen, widows and other relatives in the sun-splashed Capitol Rotunda for the ceremony recognizing the Tuskegee Airmen for their long-ago heroism.

At the 2015 Brewer Family Reunion, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, in Washington, D.C. a Congressional Gold Medal and other plaques, including one from President Barack Obama, the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, and the Brewer family, were presented by Mr. Vernon Robinson of Winston-Salem, who played a significant role in researching much of Lieutenant Robert C. Robinson Jr.’s Air Force history. The awards were accepted by Lt. Robinson’s sisters, Mrs. Gwendolyn Robinson Atkinson and Mrs. Genevieve Robinson Brown, of Charlotte, NC. The ceremony was attended by government dignitaries, the U. S. Air Force Honor Guard, and Tuskegee Airmen from the East Coast Chapter.

The original Congressional Gold Medal for the Tuskegee Airmen is at the for display.

Page 11 AWARDS Air Medal Purple Heart American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Cliff and Geraldine Robinson with their son, Robert C. Robinson, Jr. at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

Robert C. Robinson’s draft card

Page 12 Visit Profiles of Tuskegee Airmen and take a closer look at the lives and accomplishments of some of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. New profiles are added regularly and will grow as the staff and volunteer of the CAF Red Tail Squadron continue their tireless efforts to research and share the remarkable stories of these important American figures.

We invite you to share stories and photos with us to feature! Contact LaVone [email protected], by calling (888) 928-0188, or by mail at:

CAF Red Tail Squadron 971 Hallstrom Drive Red Wing, MN 55066

For $99 you can join the exclusive ranks of the Top Flight Club!

When you join, you’ll get the special members-only Top Flight Club hat and annual pin, you will receive a different pin each year of membership.

Each year, an annual report detailing your Top Flight Club membership dues at work will be made available. Get in this awesome collaboration with the CAF Red Tail Squadron to honor the Tuskegee Airmen!

Hear Brad Lang’s thoughts on the importance of joining the Top Flight Club! Brad is one the CAF Red Tail Squadron P-51C Mustang pilots, and son of a Tuskegee Airman.

Page 13 AND THEN THERE WERE WOMEN! Tuskegee Airmen Nurses

Thank you to Pia Winters Jordan, Project Director of the Tuskegee Airmen Nurses Project, for sharing with all of us the incedible legacy of nurses who served alongside the Airmen. We are honored to feature their history and some of their stories in the next several issues of Red Tail Mail.

Be sure to visit Tuskegee Airmen Nurses Project for more information!

Pia Jordan, Project Director (Photo by Chris Levister)

he Tuskegee Airmen were not the only ones making history at the Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in TTuskegee, Alabama during the 1940s. The nurses who served on the base had to fight gender as well as racial discrimination. The Department of the Army was dragging its feet on allowing women of any race into the Army Nurse Corps (ANC)–that is until the entered World War II and there was a shortage of nurses. Approximately 29 black nurses served at TAAF. The segregated Army had limited black ANC nurses to around 500 more or less during World War II. That was out of a total 50,000 Army Nurse Corps nurses who served during this war. This site serves as an information platform to recognize the women who served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama.

My mother was one of the nurses. She never talked much about her military career. It was not until she suffered a series of seizures/strokes in 2006, and I, as her only child, was looking through her things, that I took a closer look at her military scrapbook. After joining the faculty of Morgan State University in 2008, I found another colleague interested in the story of the nurses who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF), Tuskegee, Alabama, during World War II. We started research and interviews for a multi-media documentary in earnest in 2010. This site is part of the Tuskegee Army Nurses Project.

Pia Winters Jordan, Project Director Tuskegee Airmen Nurses Project Daughter of 1LT Louise Virginia Lomax (Married, Winters) Faculty, Morgan State University, Department of Multimedia Journalism, School of Global Journalism and Communication

Page 14 Featured Biography Della Hayden Raney (Jackson) “Maw Raney”

It’s understandable Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee, Alabama in March that Della Raney 1942 as principal chief nurse with the rank of first became known lieutenant. as “Maw Raney” to the nurses she History seemed to follow Lieutenant Raney wherever supervised at she went. She was again on the move in 1944 when Tuskegee Army she was transferred from TAAF to Fort Huachuca, Air Field during Arizona where she was promoted to captain as chief World War II. She nurse at the station hospital there. She was the first was the principal “Negro” nurse affiliated with the Army Air Corps to chief nurse to up be promoted to captain and the second “Negro” to 20 nurses at any nurse to be promoted to captain in the ANC during one time during this period of the mid-1940’s. She was promoted to her almost three- major in 1946. year tenure on the base before After World War II, she served at various bases in being promoted to the United States including Camp Beale, California. captain. She had to She also had a tour of duty in Japan. Her tenure in lead these women the ANC was from April 1941 to February 1950. into a career where they would be discriminated She was honored with the following medals related against because of their gender and their race. to her military experience: Good Conduct Medal, Women’s Army Corps Service Medal, WWII Victory Della Hayden Raney was born on January 10, 1912 in Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Suffolk, Virginia. Suffolk, Virginia as well as , American Campaign Medal. In 1978, the year she have been mentioned as hometowns. retired, the Tuskegee Airmen honored her “for her Raney was a graduate of the Lincoln Hospital School achievements that personified the Tuskegee Spirit.” of Nursing in Durham, North Carolina. Lincoln is credited as the first program for “Negro” nursing Major Raney died on November 23, 1987. The students in the United States. She also served as an National Black Nurses Association and the Tuskegee operating room supervisor at Lincoln Hospital. Airmen Foundation started a scholarship in her name in 2012. (1942 yearbook, Wings Over America This professional nurse made military and nursing publication, Tuskegee Army Flying School Army Air history when she became the first African-American Forces, 66th Flight Training Detachment and Army who was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Air Forces, SE Training Ctr., Published by the Army the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) during World War II in and Navy Publishing Co., Inc., Main Office, Baton 1941. In order to join the ANC, a candidate had to Rouge, LA. CPT Charles Baylis, USMC (RET), Editor in have been recruited and a member of the American Chief and Director of Field Operations; Black Women Red Cross, a graduate of a nursing school, a registered in the Armed Forces; Hawk’s Cry base newspaper; professional nurse and a member of a national Women’s Military Memorial Registry, Arlington nursing organization. Raney fit the requirements National Cemetery, Virginia; 1991: The Path We and became the first nurse to report for duty at Fort Tread: Blacks in Nursing 1854-1990 by M. Elizabeth Bragg, North Carolina, thus beginning her first tour Carnegie; National Black Nurses Association) of duty. She was later promoted as chief nurse at Fort Bragg becoming the first African-American nurse to be appointed as a chief nurse. She made history yet again when she was transferred to Tuskegee Army

Page 15 DID YOU KNOW?

On April 9, 1945 all but 3 of the 61 black officers who had been arrested in quarters at Freeman Field for attempting to enter an officers’ club closed to them were released. The three not released had been accused of disobeying the orders of a superior officer and offering violence to him.

They included Lieutenants Roger C. “Bill” Terry, Marsen A. Thomson, and Shirley R. Clinton. At the same time, Colonel Robert Selway, commander of the base and of the 477th Bombardment Group there, issued Base Regulation 85-2, noting which personnel were to use each of the two sets of buildings on base.

The regulation specified not only two separate officers clubs, but also two separate recreational buildings, two separate mess buildings, two different sets of base officers’ quarters, and two separate sets of latrines.

One set was reserved for personnel undergoing training, by which Selway meant black officers, and the other set was reserved for base, supervisory, instructor, and command personnel, by which Selway meant white officers.

Of the 422 black officers at Freeman Field, 101 refused to sign the new regulation, which contradicted War Department policy, and were taken into custody. They included members of the 619th Bombardment Squadron, 477th Bombardment Group, and “E” Squadron of the 118th Army Air Forces Base Unit (AAFBU), which consisted of replacements for the 477th Bombardment Group. 318 of the other black officers (not counting the 3 still under arrest from the first round) signed the regulation, some of them adding notes that they disagreed with the segregated facilities policy.

Among them were 16 of the officers initially arrested. If one counts all of the black officers arrested at Freeman Field during April 1945, the number is 120 (19 arrested first time but not second, 42 arrested first and second times, and 59 arrested second time only).

Page 16 CAF Red Tail Squadron Virtual Museum Artifact Spotlight

The CAF Red Tail Squadron’s Virtual Museum is a community collaborative effort, made up of photos and information of artifacts pertaining to the Tuskegee Airmen submitted from all around the country. Anyone with an item of significance to the Tuskegee Airmen, or has visited the location of a memorial in tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, can share their knowledge by submitting to the Virtual Museum.

96th Squadron 1946 class yearbook page featuring 1st Lt. William R. Melton

Submitted by: Raymond Kleber

Location: Goldsboro, NC

About: The 96th Squadron were a close knit group of Fighter Pilots who I would say knew 95% of all the other Pilots by first name, so one of the pilots in the 96th Squadron suggested a class year book be made and ran the idea by the Group Commander. We, meaning the majority, thought it would be a good idea and so 1st Lt A.S Barnwell Jr took on the job. Everyone was included, from the Staff to the Maintenance members which were a team. We were blessed to have Col Henry Viccellio as a Commander who retired as a Lt Gen.

1st Lt. William R. Melton joined the 96th Fighter Squadron July 1949. Born in Columbus, New Mexica, and attended high school in Tucson, Arizona. Was college student prior to entry into Air Force in 1942. Received commission and Pilot’s rating in July 1942 at Tuskegee Army Flying School, Alabama. Served overseas (Italy) as Fighter Pilot with 332nd Fighter Group, completing 55 long range escort missions. He is father of one boy.

See additional submissions by Raymond Kleber 96th Squadron 1946 class yearbook page featuring 2nd Lt. Milford S. Craig 96th Squadron 1946 class yearbook page featuring 2nd Lt. Ernest Craigwell, Jr.

Check out all the great pieces in the CAF Red Tail Squadron Virtual Museum!

Have something to share? Submit a photo of your Tuskegee Airmen artifact, artwork or memorial!

Page 17 IN YOUR WORDS

My daughter and I attended the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit when it was at the Wayne County Airport in Smithville, Ohio last year. I have been meaning to share these pictures and I’m sorry it’s taken so long but I wanted to send these along nevertheless to show how much we enjoyed it, especially my daughter! She was 3 at the time and even gave Harold Brown a hug! We actually came on two different days while it was here to be able to meet Harold Brown as well as see the plane in flight.

Thank you so much for all that you do with this exhibit and for coming to our area and helping to educate people here on an important part of history that is so often left untold.

We hope so see the exhibit again someday!

Thank you so much again, ~Caroline Leslie (And Aria!)

The RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit was wonderful, I loved how this show is trying to empower people (students and adults) to Rise Above the things that may hinder us. I was not in the show with kids so I don’t know how they responded, but I think this should be shown to as many kids as you can. Kids today are not thinking about doing better than the community that they were brought up in has to offer and I believe that most of them can excel higher than what others may be saying to them.

Thank you for taking the time to come and allow us a chance to view and get inspired. ~Ethel Edwards

Page 18 Visiting this tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen meant a lot to me. I have long been inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen. I have visited the redtail.org website prior to visiting the traveling exhibit and plan to travel to South Carolina to see the P51-C Mustang at the Beaufort Airshow. I know that I probably won’t see it fly in by I just want to be in its presence. Of all of the interesting things that I learned from the exhibit was the fact that the P51-C Mustang Tuskegee Airmen still flies. I am incredibly proud of the Airmen and their many accomplishments but I am equally grateful to those who will not let their story die. The RISE ABOVE movie alone nearly brought me to tears as I experienced it three times while it was on the campus of Halifax Community College. I shared the good news of this exhibit with as many as I could by word of mouth and using social media. One of my students entered our classroom today and was excited to tell me that he had visited the exhibit on Saturday. I am sure that the Tuskegee Airmen inspired him as they have inspired me to continue to try despite obstacles. I remember taking the photo of my daughter in 2003 with Tuskegee Airmen Ezra M. Hill Sr. On Wednesday, March 13, 2019 before attending Mae Jemison’s Exploring the Frontiers of Science and Human Potential she was reintroduced to the Airmen again. Continue to share the inspiring message of these amazing Americans with future generations. ~Stacy Pittman

Tuskegee Airman Ezra M. Hill Sr. and my daughter, Mikella Pittman, at The Virginia Air and Space Center on February 9, 2013

Firstly, I would like to say that the overall exhibit exceeded my expectations. I learned about the RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit visiting Fort Lauderdale from the local newspaper, the Sun Sentinel, and since I had known about the Tuskegee Airmen previously, I wanted to learn more. The movie and its narrative was excellent in that it presented the facts of the squadron’s forming and evolution in a very evenhanded manner, not a judgmental one. What was especially inspiring to me was the way in which the airmen continued to push for the honor to serve their country in the best way they believed they could. Also inspiring was how dedicated the founding members and volunteers were in restoring the P51 not once, but twice...

I would encourage you to get this story as part of as many school curriculums as possible, especially in the South. The mood in our country today is very divisive and many would prefer to forget segregation and racism claiming that it no longer exists. Nothing could be further from the truth. Maybe it’s not as prevalent as it once was but its still there and America will never be truly “great” until people of color, and all immigrants are able to feel part of the social fabric in America. Completely, included in thoughts and deeds. Being able to get this story in front of young minds will, I believe, go a long way towards erasing much of the prejudice that still exists.

Best regards … Chris Lyons Parkland, Florida

A moving, informative, and inspirational exhibit! The plane and accompanying movie should be a required outing and on the curriculum for every school in America, to overcome bigotry and the demoralizing effects of poverty.

Emily White, Boca Raton, FL

Page 19 Blue skies... Robert T. McDaniel March 19, 2019

One of Fort Worth’s area last member of legendary Tuskegee Airmen dies at 96

Robert Tenneson McDaniel was born in Fort Worth, Texas and named after his fraternal grandfather, a Fort Worth physician. Mr. McDaniel earned a scholarship to Prairie View University when his career was interrupted due to the war.

Mr. McDaniel entered the military in 1943 and was accepted into the Aviation Cadet Training Program at Tuskegee Institute. He served his country as a Flight Officer with the 477th Bombardier Group. While continuing training at Indiana’s Freeman Field, he was turned away from the officers’ club. He and other black officers defied a direct order and repeatedly tried to enter the club. They were arrested and threatened with court martial, which could have carried the death penalty during wartime. The men eventually were exonerated, and the Freeman Field incident helped lead to the integration of the military.

At the end of the war, Robert returned to Prairie View University and then went on to the University of Colorado, earning a BS (Mathematics/Chemistry), MS (Mathematics/Educational Administration) and Counselor Certification. Robert began his teaching career in the Ft. Worth ISD in 1949. During his career he served as Mathematics teacher, volunteer Coach and Counselor at IM Terrell Jr./Sr. High School; Vice- Principal at Dunbar Jr./Sr. High School and Principal at James E. Guinn and Morningside Middle School.

The District inducted him to the Wall of Fame in 2009, along with another Terrell alumni and Tuskegee Airman, Capt. Claude Platte, who served as a flight instructor during the war. Platte, who served in the Air Force until 1965, died in 2013.

Page 20 A Tuskegee hero is buried 75 years after his death in World War II

Washington Post | By Michael E. Ruane March 22, 2019

Nearly 75 years after his fighter plane crashed in , Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson, a Tuskegee Airman, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday as four Air Force jets roared overhead and his daughter and grandchildren looked on.

A stiff wind rustled nearby magnolia trees as the mourners sat before his silver casket, and his 76-year-old daughter, Marla L. Andrews, received a folded flag from an Army general who knelt before her.

Earlier, at a church service, a minister likened Dickson to the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, whose bones were carried by his people to the Promised Land from the foreign realm where he died. “Joseph served his people on foreign soil,” said the Rev. Jerry Sanders of Fountain Baptist Church in Summit, N.J. “What we do for Captain Dickson today is what they did for Joseph in the long ago.”

It was a solemn farewell for a daughter who cherished a father she never knew — she was 2 when he died — and who lamented the life she might have had.

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There are 26 Tuskegee Airmen still missing from the war.

Jets fly over the funeral for Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson in tribute to the World War II pilot. Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/

Mr. Kelly McKeague, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency director, right, speaks with Marla Andrews, daughter of U.S. Army Air Forces Capt. , during her father’s funeral at Arlington National Cemetery, March 22, 2019. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class An honor guard carries the casket of Capt. Lawrence E. Dickson. Kristen Duus Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post Page 21 ARCHIVE PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY

Educator and author (1867-1940) graduated from Hampton Institute in 1890. In 1891 he was appointed commandant of the male student cadet corps at Hampton Insti-tute. After serving 24 years as an administrator at Hampton Institute he was selected to replace Booker T. Washington principal of Tuskegee Institute after his death. He held the postion at Tuskegee for 20 years until his retirement in 1935. Moton Field, the initial training base for the Tuskegee Airmen was named after him.

Lt. Walter Drake Westmoreland with his P-51C 43-2495 nicknamed “Dopey”.

Walter was flying this aircraft when he was hit by flak while strafing an aerodrome in Hungary on 13 October 1944 at 1330 hours. He attempted an emergency landing in an open field but didn’t bleed off enough speed, overshot, hit a tree at the end of the field, flipped over onto his back and skidded about 100 metres before coming to a stop. There was no fire but Westmoreland was killed.

Page 22 Armorer Sgt. Guy S. Mills and his assistant wrestle with one of the 50 calibre machine guns on P-51C 43-25108 “Travelin’ Lite” of the 100th FS. This plane was lost on 29 October 1944 with Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr. of Charlotte, NC.

Six navigators from the 616 Bombardment Squadron posed standing in front of a wall map.

Photo dated 17 September 1944.

Pictured here from L-R; Lt. Robert Cobbs, Lt. Fenton Sands, Lt. LeRoy F. Gillead (Squadron Commander) two unknown and far right, Lt. George Giddings.

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