NEWSLETTER OF THE DETROIT AUGUST CHAPTER OF THE TUSKEGEE 2006 AIRMEN INCORPORATED May HawkHawk’’ss 2018 IN THIS ISSUE: > Presidents’ Page > Local Happenings > Activities > Heart of America Banquet CryCry IIII > Lake Huron Red Tails! > Tabernacle Missionary [email protected] > Pancakes with a Patriot Tuskegee Airmen Hawk's Cry II Official Newsletter of the DETROIT CHAPTER of TUSKEGEE AIRMEN INCORPORATED TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CONTACT LISTING (OFFICERS-BOARD MEMBERS - 2018) NAME E-MAIL PHONE President— Miguel Thornton [email protected] (734) 635-0477 1st Vice President—Gwen McNeal [email protected] (248) 895-7130 2nd Vice President—VACANT Treasurer— Gregory Whiting [email protected] (248) 320-0933 Secretary— Theodore Whitely [email protected] (248) 557-4688 Parliamentarian— VACANT Sergeant At Arms—VACANT Membership—Bill Welborne [email protected] (313) 204-2477 Hawk’s Cry II —Eric Palmer [email protected] (313) 683-1520 Ways & Means— VACANT Planning— VACANT Public Relations— Eric Palmer [email protected] (313) 683-1520 Historian—Lawrence Milben (313) 863-5435 Good & Welfare—VACANT Youth Programs— Brian Smith [email protected] (313) 510-7147 Speakers Bureau—Alexander Jefferson [email protected] (248) 996-9676 Chaplin—Dr. Theodore Whitely [email protected] (248) 557-4688 Additional Board Members Hugh Barrington Jr. [email protected] (248) 442-0254 (313) 418-7273 William Thompson Jr. [email protected] Alternate Information Contact Information Shirley Rankin [email protected] (248) 818-1952 William Henderson [email protected] (734) 484-4829 Donald Carter [email protected] Brian Smith [email protected] (313) 510-7147 Detroit Chapter [email protected] Hawk’s Cry II [email protected] Detroit Red Tail [email protected] CENTRAL REGION Marv K. Abrams—TAI Central Region President [email protected] 125 Wright Cove, Cibolo, TX 78108 (210) 945-4361 (210)421-2485-CELL Follow Befriend and Us Like Us DetroitChapterTAInc Detroit Chapter Tuskegee Airmen WEBSITES OF INTEREST HawksCryII Tuskegee Airmen Hawk's Detroit Chapter website TA National Museum website DetroitRedTail Detroit RedTail National Organization TA National Historic Site Detroit RedTail ON THE COVER: Eric Palmer and LtCol (Ret) pose with Dave ???, coordinator of the Pancakes with a Patriot event, ??? ??? and “RedTail.” Eric and ??? Hold the Selfridge ANGB Tuskegee Airmen street 1 sign THE NEXT TWO CHAPTER MEETINGS Thursday, 10 May 2018 & 14 June 2018 @ 1900 hours (7:00 p.m.) Please Arrive between 6:45pm & 7:00pm. Gates Open at 6:00pm At 1425 East Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48207 Entrance off of Frederick Ave and Russell Street REMEMBER: CHAPTER MEETINGS ARE ALWAYS THE 2ND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS Please Wear Tuskegee Airmen Marked Clothing to Meetings to Show Uniformity Good Day, Everyone, It is not everyday that a group of individuals can be so blessed by God that they are allowed to car- ry on the legacy of the Men and Women that became known as The Tuskegee Airmen. My question to you is "What Have You Done Lately" to perpetuate that LEGACY? We've had another terrific month of service to our youth and to our Documented Original Tuskeg- ee Airmen (DOTAs). The Speakers Bureau spoke to well over 600 students during the month and our Young Eagles Program flew 32 young kids on an orientation flight on the 8th of April. Several evening classes are still going on through the National Museum at the airport and The 100th Civil Air Patrol Unit is still growing. Soon another cohort will begin. Other activities during the month included the honoring of the Tuskegee Airmen by Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, an afternoon at Wayne State University where an enormous amount of infor- mation was shared about the approximately 8 to 12 P 39's that were lost in training near Selfridge Air Base, and some of the pilots. Our National Museum has secured salvage rights to one of the wrecked aircraft and Wayne Lusar- di, the man that completed all of the research, found out that one of his family members was a member of the Maripossa, the ship that took some Tuskegee Airmen into battle. On 15 April 1943, it left the Brooklyn Navy Yard for Casablanca carrying military medical units and troops including some Tuskegee Airmen. Another major event was that LTC Harry Stewart was invited and went to Austria to help them recognize an event that happened on April 3,1944 that many of us never knew anything about. Seven Air- men had participated in action when two were shot down. One was killed in action and the other captured and then lynched. LTC Stewart will share that experience with us at this months meeting. He is the only one of the seven that is still alive. How do we keep this legacy ALIVE? Good question, the answer is by giving. It's not too late, today is the First day of the rest of our life. Giving time, service or monetary contribution to organizations and activities that directly or indirectly help perpetuate the LEGACY of the Tuskegee Airmen. Finally, have you sold your Cruise Tickets? Please bring all money to turn in to our Treasurer on Thursday if you have not done so already. Did you get two advertisements? THIS is how we fund the things we do for the young folk. There will be a program Honoring DOTA Coleman Young (First African American Mayor of the City of Detroit), on his birthday during a two day celebration sponsored by the Friends of City Air- port. There are several other parades etc..., going on at the end of the month. We'll share more info at our meeting on May 10th. Also, check our monthly calendar of events on the next page. SEE YOU ON THE 10th. Thunder over Michigan is 25-26 August with set up on the 24th. Please plan to participate. If you are questioned, Detroit Chapter’s current list of Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTAs) are as follows: Alexander Jefferson Harry Stewart, Jr Frederick Henry Preston Jowers Matt Corbin Russell Nalle Dr. John Cunningham Jesse Rutlidge Fletcher Williams Cornelius Davis (Living in Florida) Thank you God bless you all, DO NOT FORGET ABOUT Miguel Thornton OUR CHANGE OF President MEETING LOCATION Detroit Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. 2 ACTIVITIES & EVENTS TO CONSIDER, ATTEND & SUPPORT • Salute to Detroit Police 9th and 11th Precincts Date: Saturday, May 19, 2018 Time: 12:00 pm AM to 5:00 pm Location: Dad Butler Park 2034 E 8 Mile Road, Detroit, Michigan • MCMM Great Lakes Stampede All Ford & Mustang Show This is a Detroit RedTail Event Date: Saturday, May 19, 2018 Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Location: Birch Run Outlet Mall 12240 S. Beyer Rd., Birch Run, Michigan http://www.mocsem.com/events/documents/18%20Show%20Flyer.pdf • EAA Young Eagles Rally Date: Sunday, May 20, 2018 Location: Coleman A Young international Airport, Detroit, Michigan Registration STARTS at 9:30 am • Friends of the Detroit City Airport Red Carpet Event and Community Memorial Tribute to Coleman A Young. Date: May 23 & 24, 2018 Location: Coleman A Young international Airport, Detroit, Michigan Tickets: http://www.friendsofdca.com/events.html Contact: Beverly Kindle-Walker, [email protected], (313) 822-2237 • 2018 St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade The Chapter and Detroit RedTail will be proudly participating in this event Date: May 27, 2018 Time: 1:00pm Location: along Harper Avenue from Ridgeway running North to 11 Mile http://www.scsmdp.com/ • 2018 Sterling Heights' 39th Annual Memorial Day Parade The Chapter and Detroit RedTail will be proudly participating in this event Date: May 28, 2018 Time: 9:00 am Location: At 10 a.m. the parade kicks off from the City Center parking lot onto Utica Road and veers south on Dodge Park Road to Heritage Junior High. https://www.sterling-heights.net/713/Memorial-Day-Parade 3 L-R , LTC (RET) USAF, SES (RET) JACK ADAMS; LTC (RET) USAF ALEX- ANDER JEFFERSON, 94 YEAR OLD TUSKEGEE AIRMEN PILOT FROM DETROIT WHOSE PLANE WAS DOWNED BY GROUND FIRE—AND HE WAS A POW IN GERMANY FOR NINE MONTHS; ROLANDO ADAMS Heart of America Chapter L-R, COL REGINALD BASSA, RUBY & CATHY IVY , LT COL(RET) US ARMY LENORA IVY, LTCOMDR USN (RET) REGINALD BASSA JR. WITH WEST POINT PATCH ON HIS POCKET View More Images L-R, Marianne Leary (whose father was a pilot, and Alexander Jefferson was at the same POW Camp and became friends. Her father’s bomber plane is on the left— called (Painted) Yellow Tails and Jefferson’s plane was one of the (painted )Red Tails; LTC Alexander Jefferson ; Ormer Rogers (Event Project officer); Allen Roberson, HOA TAI President; Rev. Adam Hamilton ,Senior Pastor at the Church of the Resurrection (Community Service Award) ; Rev. Cheryl Bell, Pastor , Church of the Resurrection. Capt. George Dunmore being presented with a gift for his long and excel- lent service to our Chapter by President Roberson. Jack Adams L-R : Major (Ret) Al Waller (B-52 Pilot); Anita L. Russell , KC MO. NAACP President(Pioneer award); SGT MAJOR(Ret) US ARMY, President HOA TAI, Tuskegee Airmen; Ormer Rogers, (Vietnam Veteran); Capt (Ret) Ohio National L-R: C/Capt. Katilyn Waage; Allen Roberson; LTC Ivy. Guard, Master of Ceremony 4 Lake Huron Red Tails! The Tuskegee Airmen Project On Saturday, April 14, 2018, State Maritime Archaeologist, Wayne Lusardi of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary of the Michigan DNR present- ed Lake Huron Red Tails! The Tuskegee Airmen Project at a “Science Under the Dome” lec- ture at the WSU Planetarium. The presentation talked about the Tuskegee Airmen planes that crashed into Lake Huron during training missions out of Selfridge AFB in the 40’s. It centered mostly on Lt Frank Moody, whose plane Wayne and his team mapped for recovery.