The Tuskegee Airmen
In May of 1997, the Museum of Aviation opened an Air Force 50th Anniversary exhibit to recognize the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II and the achievements of black Americans in aviation. The 5,000- square-foot exhibit is called "America's Black Eagles - The Tuskegee Pioneers ... and Beyond.''
The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II played a key role in the integration of the armed forces and their record in combat is unequaled. This exhibit highlights the sacrifices and significant contributions they and other black Americans made to the U. S. Air Force and our nation.
Two aircraft are featured in the exhibit - a BT-13, which served as a basic flight trainer at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Alabama and an F-4C fighter representing later generations of black aviators such as General "Chappie" James, the first black to become a four-star general in the U. S. Air Force.
Those highlighted:
- Bessie Coleman, the first licensed black pilot in America.
- Eugene Jacques Bullard, the world's first black military pilot.
- General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., commander of the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron and the first black general in the U. S. Air Force.
- General Bernard Randolph, the second black American to obtain four-star rank in the Air Force.
- Lt. General Lloyd "Fig" Newton, the first black pilot to join the U. S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the commander of the Air Education and Training Command.
Tuskegee Airmen Achievements:
As members of the 332nd Fighter Group, they flew more than 200 escort missions during the war without losing a single bomber to enemy attack - a feat still unmatched by any air force.
They also shot down more than 100 enemy aircraft and sank a German destroyer, according to the Air Force.
Their showing helped end segregation in the armed forces. In July 1948, President Truman signed an executive order paving the way for integration in the military.
