DOCSLIB.ORG

The Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project and Oral History in the National Park Service Author(S): J

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project and Oral History in the National Park Service Author(S): J The Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project and Oral History in the National Park Service Author(s): J. Todd Moye Source: The Journal of American History, Vol. 89, No. 2, History and September 11: A Special Issue (Sep., 2002), pp. 580-587 Published by: Organization of American Historians Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3092176 Accessed: 16/02/2010 11:41 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=oah. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Organization of American Historians is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of American History. http://www.jstor.org The Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project and Oral History in the National Park Service J. ToddMoye In 1998 PresidentBill Clinton signed into law a bill directingthe National ParkSer- vice (NPs) to createa national historic site at Moton Field in Tuskegee,Alabama. The site will honor the TuskegeeAirmen, as the firstAfrican American military aviators- men who trained to fly airplanesat segregatedfacilities in Tuskegeeduring World War II-were later called. When Congressappropriated funds for the creationof the site, it authorizedthe NPS to conduct an oral history of survivingTuskegee-trained pilots and the thousands of people who supported them during World War II. The resultingTuskegee Airmen Oral History Projectis but one of the hundreds of ways that the National ParkService has embracedthe possibilitiesof oral history. About a third of the 384 units in the National ParkSystem report that they have undertakenoral history projects.1Park Service historians, anthropologists, ethnogra- phers, and naturalresource specialists have long understoodthat oral history can help them document important American experiences in rich detail. They have then sharedthose storieswith parkvisitors. Consequently, the NPS has been responsiblefor a significantportion of all the oral history conducted in the United States. The National Park Service is likely to expand its oral history program in the future. In 2001 the National Park System Advisory Board, chaired by the eminent historianJohn Hope Franklin,suggested that the ParkService's first priorityfor the twenty-firstcentury should be accepting "its mission, as educator,to become a more significant part of America'seducational system." The board proposed that the NPS should "encouragethe study of the American past, developing programsbased on currentscholarship, linking specificplaces to the narrativeof our history,and encour- J. Todd Moye is the director of the Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project and a historian in the Southeast Regional Office of the National ParkService in Atlanta, Georgia. If you know of a participantin the TuskegeeAirmen experiencewho should be considered for an interview,or if you would like more information on the TuskegeeAirmen Oral History Project, please call the project'stoll-free number, 1-866-294-2914. Of the 384 units in the National ParkSystem, 147 responded to a 2001 questionnairefrom the Office of the Chief Historian of the National Park Service. Of those 147 respondents, 118 reported that their parks had con- ducted oral histories. See Office of the Chief Historian of the National Park Service, Oral Historyin the National Park Service,January 2002 (Washington, 2002). 580 The Journalof AmericanHistory September2002 Oral History 581 aginga publicexploration and discussionof the Americanexperience."2 Oral history is uniquein its abilityto fulfillthose missions. Yetthere is greatvariety in the conditionand size of the oralhistory collections producedby NPSemployees. Some collections contain only field notesfor a handful of untranscribed,even unrecorded, interviews. Others have hundreds of impressively catalogedinterviews and finding aids. For example, the oralhistory collection at San FranciscoMaritime National Historical Park dates back to the 1940s and is one of the nation'slongest-running oral history programs. Its morethan 600 interviewsare catalogedand availableto researchers.With close to 2,000 interviews,the oralhis- torycollection at the EllisIsland Immigration Museum at EllisIsland National Mon- ument is among the nation'slargest and most important.The collection is impressivelycataloged and widely accessible to parkvisitors. Thousands of New York City schoolchildren,scholars, curious visitors, and descendantsof intervieweeshave listenedto the collection'srecordings in the site'sresearch library. The archiveof the NationalPrisoner of WarMuseum at AndersonvilleNational Historic Site in Geor- gia includesvideo historiesof more than 900 AmericanPows, veterans of every Americanconflict since World War I.3 Unfortunately,oral history in the NPShas not alwaysreached its full potential.A recentsurvey concluded that "oralhistory efforts [in the NationalPark Service] are often looselystructured, sporadic, and project-driven,and implementedin a piece- mealfashion."4 For every Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which employs full-time oral historians,archivists, and audio techniciansand has a state-of-the-art,on-site recordingfacility, there are several sites with untrained,though dedicated, park rang- ers and volunteerswho recordinterviews on outdatedequipment and store the recordingsin uncontrolledenvironments. Few of the interviewsare ever transcribed or madeavailable to researchers.Some serve little historical purpose. But hundreds of otherinterviews undoubtedly shed light on unstudiedcorners of Americansocial his- toryand will provevaluable if theyare processed according to professionalstandards andmade available to the public. Historiansand culturalresource managers within the NPSare responding to those needs,acting on the advisoryboard's recommendation that "budgets,policies, and organizationalstructure should reflect this commitment[to education]."5Their effortsshould spark new partnershipswith universityoral history and publichistory programsthat sharethe ParkService's mission. The backlogof uncataloged,unused interviewsalready in parkcollections could keep student interns from academic oral history,public history,and museumstudies programs busy for the next several years-to the mutualbenefit of individualparks, the students,park visitors, and the researcherswho will use the interviewsin the future. 2 National Park System Advisory Board, "Rethinking the National Parksfor the 21st Century,"Aug. 9, 2001 <http://www.nps.gov/policy/report.htm>(April 15, 2002). 3 For more information on these parks and projects, see <http://www.nps.gov/safr/index.htm>;<http:// www.nps.gov/elis/index.htm>; and <http://www.nps.gov/ande/index.htm> (April 15, 2002). The Andersonville site offers researchgrants to promote use of the prisoner of war video history collection. 4 Office of the Chief Historian, Oral Historyin the National Park Service,January 2002, 4. 5 National ParkSystem Advisory Board, "Rethinkingthe National Parksfor the 21st Century." 582 The Journalof AmericanHistory September2002 The National ParkService generally conducts oral history projectswith three uses in mind. Oral histories most commonly document the administrativehistories of individual parks and park structures. The archives of many national parks and nationalhistoric sites contain interviewswith past parksuperintendents and influen- tial local citizens and, in some cases,with local people who once lived within or near the park. Those oral histories seek to document the histories of the national park units themselves. Ideally, park superintendentsand planners use the information from the interviewsto inform their decisions about resourceprotection. Relatedoral history projectsdocument the experiencesthat the parksand historic sites commemorateor the ethnographicimpact parks have had on local communi- ties. Ongoing oral history programsat Cane River Creole National Historical Park, New RiverGorge National River,Lowell National HistoricalPark, the National Park of AmericanSamoa, KeweenawNational HistoricalPark, the U.S.S. ArizonaMemo- rial, and hundreds of other NPSunits attest to the rich diversityof experiencesthat oral history documents for the ParkService. Finally,the NPSuses oral history in museum interpretation.At sites such as the Ellis IslandImmigration Museum, ParkService personnel use interviewrecordings to allow visitorsto learnhistory from the people who made it. Visitors to Ellis Islandare invariablymoved by the storiesthey hearfrom immigrantsto the United Statesin the museums exhibits and in Island of Hope, Island of Tears,the award-winningdocu- mentary film shown at the historic site.6 Oral
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FROM the FLIGHT LINE Volume 4, Issue 3
    TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, INC. · P.O. BOX 9166 · ARLINGTON, VA 22219 September 2009 FROM THE FLIGHT LINE Volume 4, Issue 3 Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. 38th Annual National Convention Post Convention Newsletter The 38th Annual National Convention was held on August 6-9, 2009, at the Palace Station Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many thanks to everyone for a very successful convention! Report of the President, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. to the 38th Convention, Las Vegas, NV August 6, 2009 Dear Members: Allow me to start this report with a summary of activities of the year. Following the Annual Convention in Philadelphia, PA, in August, we moved very aggressively forward towards the Grand Opening of the Tuskegee Airmen National Site at Moton Field. It was an exciting event and well attended by the Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTAs), elected officials and other dignitaries, plus family members and the general public. That event was followed by a tribute to the DOTAs including Lionel Richie and Tom Joyner, both with ties to Tuskegee. Next began a number of recognition events to the DOTAs; recognition at the Department of Defense's Presidential Executive Order 9981, integrating the United States military; induction into the International Air and Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Aviation Air and Space Museum in San Diego, CA; receipt of the Achievement Award from the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame: the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America; receipt of the Trumpet Award in Atlanta, GA; and other awards and recognition for their exploits and achievements.
    [Show full text]
  • Tales of the Tuskegee Airmen: Pre/Post-Lesson Packet February 25, 2020
    Tales of the Tuskegee Airmen: Pre/Post-Lesson Packet February 25, 2020 This packet was developed to provide students with greater context into the story of the Tuskegee Airmen prior to the Streamable Learning program with the Virginia War Memorial, as well as discussion questions for afterwards. Teachers are strongly encouraged to go over the biography of Howard Baugh before the program, as the speakers are the sons of Captain Baugh. The glossary and descriptions of planes may be useful for students to have during the program itself. The program will consist of approximately 30 minutes of presentation followed by a question and answer period, so please have questions ready. Questions may be sent in advance to Morgan Guyer at [email protected]. I. Glossary II. Howard Baugh Biography III. Tuskegee Planes IV. Discussion Questions V. Additional Resources VI. Howard Baugh Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. GLOSSARY Tuskegee Institute: founded in Alabama in 1881 as a school for African-Americans. United States Army Air Corps: the predecessor to the US Air Force, the USAAC was the aerial warfare service of the United States Army from 1926-1947 Congressional Medal of Honor: the United States’ highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty Harlem Hellfighters: the 369th Infantry unit in World War I (1914-1918), which consisted of only African-Americans and received many awards for bravery in action HBCU: Historically Black College or University Willa Brown: first African-American woman to become a Master Mechanic, a US trained pilot, and a member of the Civil Air Patrol Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady of the United States from 1933-1945, famously flew in a plane with a black pilot at Tuskegee Plessy v.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid to the Historymakers ® Video Oral History with Herbert Carter
    Finding Aid to The HistoryMakers ® Video Oral History with Herbert Carter Overview of the Collection Repository: The HistoryMakers®1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60616 [email protected] www.thehistorymakers.com Creator: Carter, Herbert, 1919-2012 Title: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Herbert Carter, Dates: March 18, 2007 Bulk Dates: 2007 Physical 4 Betacame SP videocasettes (1:41:00). Description: Abstract: Academic administrator and tuskegee airman Herbert Carter (1919 - 2012 ) flew seventy-seven combat missions with the 99th Fighter Squadron, against the German and Italian Air Force in the Northern Africa, Sicilian Italian and European campaigns of World War II. He received the Chevalier Legion of Honor, France’s highest and most prestigious award for his service during World War II. Carter also served as Associate Dean of Student Services and Administration at Tuskegee University, between 1969 and 1985. Carter was interviewed by The HistoryMakers® on March 18, 2007, in Tuskegee, Alabama. This collection is comprised of the original video footage of the interview. Identification: A2007_097 Language: The interview and records are in English. Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers® Academic administrator and Tuskegee Airman Herbert E. Carter was born on September 27, 1919 in Amory, Mississippi to parents Willie Ann Sykes Carter and George Washington Carter. He graduated from Tuskegee High School in 1941 and George Washington Carter. He graduated from Tuskegee High School in 1941 and went on to join the United States Army in July of 1942 as a member of the 99th pursuit unit, which was one of the units that became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
    [Show full text]
  • The Flight Plan
    ® Chicago DODO Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.® The Flight Plan Vol. XVIII no. 4 November 2011 Chicago DODO Chapter, P. O. Box 19063, Chicago, IL 60619 Ken Rapier, President Carrying on the legend and teaching young people about the opportunities in aviation. FROM: R. J. LEWIS 10/23/11 TO: EDITOR-TUSKEGEE NEW SUBJ: ARTICLE: MILDRED L. CARTER-AVITRIX MILDRED LOUISE (HEMMONS) CARTER Beloved Pioneer Tuskegee Aviatrix, Mildred Louise (Hemmons), Carter passed away peacefully at her home on 21 October 2011 after a lengthy illness. She filed her final Flight Plan on a perfect Tuskegee flying day with little wind and a cloudless blue sky; Mildred was 90 years old. Aviator, wife, great-grandmother, a leading citizen of Tuskegee; Mil- dred is perhaps best known as a graduate of the Tuskegee Civilian Pilot Program (CPT), authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This was the precursor of the Tuskegee Airmen. As a 19 year-old Tuskegee Institute (University) graduate with a BA in Business, Mildred was the first hire of the Army Air Corps in setting up the Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF). She served as Chief Clerk in the Quartermaster Corps at TAAF and created the documents that equipped the new base. Mildred also held a Parachute Packer Rating and was an excellent Secretary/Typist. She was a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA), and a member of the Bessie Coleman Foundation; an organization of women aviators... During the 1941 historic 40 minute flight of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt with C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson, head of the Tuskegee Civilian Pilot Training Program, Chief advised that the Negro students were indeed doing well in their training regimen.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuskegee Airmen Chronology Daniel L. Haulman Organizational
    TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY DANIEL L. HAULMAN ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY BRANCH AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY MAXWELL AFB, AL 36112-6424 14 November 2011 1 TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY Dr. Daniel L. Haulman Chief, Organization History Division Air Force Historical Research Agency Expanded Edition: 30 September 2011 27 June 1939: Congress passed the Civilian Pilot Training Act. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies.) September-October 1939: The Civil Aeronautics Administration received Tuskegee Institute’s application to be a civilian pilot training institution, and after Tuskegee obtained permission to use the Montgomery Airport as a facility, the application was approved. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies) Late February 1940: The Civil Aeronautics Authority approved Tuskegee’s Kennedy Field for Civilian Pilot Training, after improvements to the field, eliminating Tuskegee Institute’s need to use the Montgomery Airport. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies) 25 March 1940: George A. Wiggs arrived in Tuskegee to administer the standard written examination required of all Civilian Pilot Training students. Every student who took the examination passed, surpassing the passing rate of other schools in the South. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies.) 16 September 1940: Congress passed a Selective Service Act which required all the armed services to enlist “Negroes”. On the same day, the War Department announced that the Civil Aeronautics Authority, in cooperation with the U.S. Army, would start the development of “colored personnel” for the aviation service. (Public Law 783, 16 September 1940; War Department Press Release, 16 September 1940; 99th Fighter Squadron summary history in the lineage and honors folder of the 99th Flying Training Squadron at the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), Maxwell AFB, AL) Late October 1940: In a press release, President Franklin D.
    [Show full text]
  • February Is Black History Month and Educators All Across the Country Are Using the Wealth of Educational Resources We Have Available on Our Website
    CAF RISE ABOVE® Inspiring young people to RISE ABOVE adversity using the lessons and stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). February is Black History Month and educators all across the country are using the wealth of educational resources we have available on our website. These include free, downloadable posters, PowerPoints, classroom activities, Tuskegee Airmen profiles, a Virtual Museum, and a selection of webinars that include interviews with Tuskegee Airmen. Photo courtesy Eddie Kyle We created these resources so these stories of WWII In This Issue - February 2021 aviation would be available to young people, and inspire them to achieve their dreams. Our hope is, by telling the • Leaders View stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and their strength of character and ability to • Tuskegee Airmen essay contest Triumph Over Adversity, these kids will use these stories as inspiration RISE • A Call to Service by Michael ABOVE their own challenges in life. Martin • Introducing WASP author Sarah The isolation caused by Covid-19 and the relentless negativity in the news cycle, many people have struggled to maintain hope and optimism during these times. Byrn Rickman But the struggles we face today pale by comparison to the struggles and sacrifice • Tour schedule at a glance made by all Americans 80 years ago. In spite of the incredible adversity they • Greetings from the Ambassador faced, the Tuskegee Airmen were able to RISE ABOVE. We thank our educators team for using this month to carry these stories forward,
    [Show full text]
  • The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Supervised Undergraduate Student Research Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects and Creative Work Spring 5-2004 Forgotten but not Gone: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen Kristen Alexandra Molt University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj Recommended Citation Molt, Kristen Alexandra, "Forgotten but not Gone: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen" (2004). Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/774 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Supervised Undergraduate Student Research and Creative Work at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGR-\.L"I SENIOR PROJECT - APPROVAL Name: 8i~+er\ Mo\+- College: ArK tc ~ence.g Department: \-h %W~ Faculty ~lenror: ~ llilfl~ Lte-M-I:;J 12:c \ PROJECT mLE: ~ ol!:ro '"vI- Vlot C=VI G : :1he S;:-\r:,1" (L -h JY{'E<-4)U. Aiy-W\m I have ~evlewed this complered senior honors thesis with thIs srudenr lnd certify that it is l proje~~ commensurJre with honors level undergrJduare rese:m:h in this tield. Signeti:~~/Jl- ~~~ . Faculty Mentor Dare: -5 / .s/ 0 t ~ I FORGOTTEN BUT NOT GONE: THE STORY OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN KRISTEN MOLT SENIOR HONORS THESIS From 1939 to 1945, the sounds of war reverberated through all comers of the world. The world was embroiled in the World War II, a conflict so vast that it defies characterization.
    [Show full text]
  • Background to Red Tails
    BACKGROUND TO RED TAILS THE INSPIRATION AND HISTORY The history of the Tuskegee Airmen began when the Civil Aeronautics Authority selected 13 cadets to participate in an experiment at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama aimed at training “coloured personnel” to become combat pilots for service in the Army Air Corps. However, fierce discrimination, lack of institutional support and the belief that these men lacked the intelligence and aptitude to be pilots or maintain military aircraft dogged their every step. When they were finally awarded the opportunity to fight for the Allied forces during World War II, these men flew thousands of missions, and in a two-year period between 1943 and 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen shot down more than a hundred German aircraft, including three of the first German jets ever used in combat. Their planes, P-51 Mustangs painted with distinct red tails, came to be feared by the enemies and respected by allies. By the end of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen had earned 96 Distinguished Unit Citations and as individual pilots earned several Silver Stars, Purple Hearts and hundreds of other awards and medals. “I thought their story would make a great film,” says Red Tails producer George Lucas, “An inspirational one that shows the incredible things these men went through to patriotically serve with valour and help the world battle back the evils of fascism. It is an amazing story, and I wanted to memorialise it.” To be as true as possible to the spirit of the Tuskegee Experience would require direct input from the original Airmen themselves.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuskegee Airmen
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration tuskegee airmen Fighting to Fly Elementary School Educational Product Educators & Students Elementary School During World War II the U.S. military allowed Black men to fly as pilots. This had never happened before. Many people did not want them to fly because of their skin color. The pilots are known as the Tuskegee Airmen. They were very successful during the war. Although Black men had served in the U.S. military before World War II, they were not allowed to fly airplanes. Many military leaders did not think Black men were smart enough to fly. This was not true. Black pilots proved they could, flying for France during World War I. The first class of Black student pilots began training at Tuskegee University in Alabama on July 19, 1941. Nearly 1,000 Black men would learn to fly at Tuskegee between 1941 and 1946. When America joined World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, everyone was in a hurry to train pilots. This was true at Tuskegee too. But there still were people who did not want Black men to fly in the war. When the Tuskegee Airmen arrived in Europe, they joined the rest of their Fighter Squadron. A squadron is a group of pilots and airplanes. Their job is to fly missions to find and hurt the enemy. Their job is to drop bombs, shoot at enemy ships on the water, and shoot down enemy aircraft. Guarding bombers from enemy attack was the mission the Tuskegee Airman became most famous for.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuskegee Airmen at Oscoda Army Air Field David K
    WINTER 2016 - Volume 63, Number 4 WWW.AFHISTORY.ORG know the past .....Shape the Future Our Sponsors Our Donors A Special Thanks to Members for their Sup- Dr Richard P. Hallion port of our Recent Events Maj Gen George B. Harrison, USAF (Ret) Capt Robert Huddleston and Pepita Huddleston Mr. John A. Krebs, Jr. A 1960 Grad Maj Gen Dale Meyerrose, USAF (Ret) Col Richard M. Atchison, USAF (Ret) Lt Gen Christopher Miller The Aviation Museum of Kentucky Mrs Marilyn S. Moll Brig Gen James L. Colwell, USAFR (Ret) Col Bobby B. Moorhatch, USAF (Ret) Natalie W. Crawford Gen Lloyd Fig Newton Lt Col Michael F. Devine, USAF (Ret) Maj Gen Earl G Peck, USAF (Ret) Maj Gen Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., USAF (Ret) Col Frederic H Smith, III, USAF (Ret) SMSgt Robert A. Everhart, Jr., USAF (Ret) Don Snyder Lt Col Raymond Fredette, USAF (Ret) Col Darrel Whitcomb, USAFR (Ret) Winter 2016 -Volume 63, Number 4 WWW.AFHISTORY.ORG know the past .....Shape the Future Features Boyd Revisited: A Great Mind with a Touch of Madness John Andreas Olsen 7 Origins of Inertial Navigation Thomas Wildenberg 17 The World War II Training Experiences of the Tuskegee Airmen at Oscoda Army Air Field David K. Vaughan 25 Ralph S. Parr, Jr., USAF Fighter Pilot Extraordinaire Daniel L. Haulman 41 All Through the Night, Rockwell Field 1923, Where Air-to-Air Refueling Began Robert Bruce Arnold 45 Book Reviews Thor Ballistic Missile: The United States and the United Kingdom in Partnership By John Boyes Review by Rick W. Sturdevant 50 An Illustrated History of the 1st Aero Squadron at Camp Furlong: Columbus, New Mexico 1916-1917 By John L.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuskegee Airmen Chronology
    TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY DANIEL L. HAULMAN ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY BRANCH AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY MAXWELL AFB, AL 36112-6424 24 November 2015 1 A TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY INTRODUCTION For decades after World War II, the first black pilots in American military history were relatively unknown. Americans became increasingly aware of the contributions of African Americans to their cultural heritage during and after the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. By the end of the twentieth century, the “Tuskegee Airmen” had become famous in newspaper and magazine articles, books, films, television programs, and museum exhibits. Unfortunately, their story was told not only by historians using primary source documents, but also by others less familiar with history than with legend. A number of false claims circulated, many of them based on an ignorance of the chronological sequence of events that formed the skeleton of the true story. This book is an effort to provide a framework for Tuskegee Airmen history while at the same time revealing their historically significant accomplishments. Having worked at the Air Force Historical Research Agency for more than thirty-two years, I have developed an appreciation for the invaluable collection of documents on Army Air Forces organizations in World War II that is maintained there. Many of the documents describe the most famous Tuskegee Airmen organizations such as the 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons that were assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group during World War II, which escorted American B-17 and B-24 bombers over Nazi targets in central Europe, its pilots flying red-tailed P-51 Mustangs.
    [Show full text]
  • Gunnery Meet
    Gunnery Meet – Las Vegas Air Force Base, Nevada May 2, 1949 With the stroke of a pen, President Harry Truman started the process of officially desegregating all branches of the U.S. military on 26 July 1948. In July 1949, the 332nd Fighter Group was deactivated, a direct result of that Executive Order. Those who had trained for air combat at Tuskegee and remained in the Air Force postwar would be assigned to new squadrons. The slow yet steady journey to true integration had begun for the brave men of the 332nd. However, the members of the 332nd had one last hurrah before being assigned to other units. In May 1949, two months before deactivation, the unit participated in the first-ever USAF Gunnery Meet in the Nevada desert. Each stateside FG sent three pilots and one alternate to represent their units. Those pilots were selected via an internal competition against their fellow pilots. Along with the pilots, some seventeen highly-skilled ground support personnel were sent. Here is a “brief” about each of the 332nd Fighter Group weapons meet team members and their military rank at the time of the Top Gun Competition in May 1949. First Lieutenant James Harvey, III Class 44-1-1-SE 10/16/1944 2nd Lt. 0838153 Mountain Top, PA Harvey grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. He was drafted into the Army in 1943 after trying to join up as a pilot cadet and being turned down because of his skin color. The train he took to basic training in Maryland stopped in Washington D.C.
    [Show full text]