Tuskegee Airmen Essay

Tuskegee Airmen Essay
On July 19, 1941 the U.S. Air Force created a program in Alabama to train African Americans as
fighter pilots(Tuskegee Airmen1). Basic flight training was done by the Tuskegee institute, a school
founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881(Tuskegee Airmen 1). Cadets would finish basic training
at Tuskegee's Moton Field and then move on to the Tuskegee Army Air Field to complete his
transition from training to combat aircraft. The early Tuskegee squad were taught to fit in with the
famous 99th fighter squadron, tagged for combat duty in North Africa. Other Tuskegee pilots were
commissioned to the 332d Fighter Group which fought alongside with the 99th Squadron based out
of Italy. By the end of the war, 992 men had completed training at...show more content...
Two things were unusual about this American fighter pilot. First, he had passed up a sure kill.
Second, he was Black. He flew with the only U.S. Fighter squad involved in World War Two that
could claim to have never lost a bomber they were escorting. The Group was the 332nd Fighter
Group, "The Redtails," the famed all African American outfit that fought both American racism and
Nazi militarism. Under the leadership and discipline of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, the Redtails
had learned that their mission in life was to protect the bombers(Respect and Honor 1). Prior to
WWII, the U.S. Air Force did not employ African Americans in any role. However in 1940,
President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the Air Corps to build an all Negro flying unit. The
presidential order caused the Army to create the 99th Pursuit Squadron(Tuskegee Airmen 2). To
develop the Negro pilots needed for the new squadron, the Air Corps opened a new training base in
central Alabama, at the Tuskegee Institute(Tuskegee Experiment 1). April 19, 1941 Mrs. Eleanor
Roosevelt visited Tuskegee and met Charles "Chief" Anderson, the head of the program, Mrs.
Roosevelt asked, "Can Negroes really fly airplanes?" He r
Page 3
Replied: "Certainly we can; as a matter of fact, would you like to take an airplane ride?" Over the
objections of her Secret Service agents, Mrs. Roosevelt accepted. The agent called President
Roosevelt, who replied, "Well, if she wants to do it, there's nothing we can do to
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Tuskegee Airmen Research Paper
The Tuskegee airmen
By jessie ruby
In the 1940s there was a experimentally group, that was created to test African Americans in planes
to see if they would be helpful to the air force.This new group was called the Tuskegee airmen and
was made up of all African American pilots who all studied at the Tuskegee university.The people
who where in the Tuskegee airmen wouldn't be in the Tuskegee airmen project without the people of
their past and how each African American in the military impacted their future.
In the years before the Tuskegee airmen The only African Americans in theunited states military was
slaves or very little freed slaves.The African Americans during this time fought in many wars and
battles, theses included the American revolution, war of1812,spanish American war plus many
other.Besides of being in conflicts some of the African American solder groups helped contribute to
the creation of the Tuskegee airmen.The groups who helped the most was the 54th Massachusetts
infantry, buffalo soldiers,10th cavalry regiment and Harlem hell fighters because all of them either
helped protects white solders of the military or had amazing records of not leaving and helping out
other parts that aren't military related.Also there was a few African American solders who got the
metal of honor for their bravery in the military, this would contribute to the creation of the Tuskegee
airmen because it shows how African Americans can fight even if they want to

"From the last plane to the last bullet to the last minute to the last man – we fight. WE fight! We
FIGHT!" by Joe Little. The Tuskegee Airmen also known as the Red Tails were an all black fighter
unit in World War two. That showed Bravery and heroism during World War two.
"The Tuskegee Airmen are called theTuskegee Airmen because they learned to fly near Tuskegee,
Alabama" .The most important flying territory for them is Molton Field they were taught to fly at
Molton Field. After they learned to fly they got dispatched to Ramitelli Airfield in Italy. Although
they were looked down upon at home and overseas for the color of their skin. They also were
expected to abort fighting. They flew their first mission on May 30, 1943 flying worn out P–39
fighters for the 99th air force.
All the planes of the Tuskegee airmen had a symbol on their tails that was solid red tails which gave
them the nickname Red Tails. The 332 fighter group and its three units first used P–47s fighters but
then traded them in for the P–51 mustang fighters which was the best United States Fighter plane.
The Red Tails flew many missions protecting B–17s and B–24s bombers they were chosen by many
bomber units to protect them which were going into deep enemy territory...show more content...
The Red Tails were transferred from 12th air force to 15th airforce. "the Red tails flew 179
bomber missions on only 7 of those were any escorted bombers shot down by enemy aircraft". The
Red Tails had three other units 99th 100th 301st and the 302nd. They fought two battles 1 at home
with racism and fought for the racist country. The Red Tails moved to ramitelli airfield. The most
famous escort was an escort to berlin which three Red Tails each shot a jet. The escort to Berlin
would be the longest they would

The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
John C. Robinson, enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and got his degree in Mechanics
at only eighteen years old (Brownlee, R.A 2012). When he returned a war hero from being the
commander of the Ethiopian Air Force, he dreamed of having an aeronautical school at Tuskegee
(Brownlee). However, out of pure luck Tuskegee was chosen to be a part of the Civilian Pilot
Training Program, even though Robinson didn't have a hand in this and he was teaching at Keesler
and Chanute Air Fields during World War II (Brownlee). He laid the foundation and standards for
who African American pilots were during World War II: well respected, and had excellent piloting
and combat skills. Through his determination and...show more content...
Davis, who was the commander of the 99th fighter group, would become the commander of the
332nd group (Haulman, Dale L. 2010). In 1944, the group went to Italy where the 99th squadron
was, and they served under the fifteenth Air Force. According to Haulman, "[they were] given the
primary mission of escorting heavy bombers such as Boeing B–17s and Consolidated B–24s to their
targets in southern, central, and eastern Europe" (Haulman). Soon after spotting a warship on the
Gulf of Venezia and Gulf of Trieste and shooting it down till it sunk, the next day the entire group
received the p–51 Mustangs that were faster and had a longer range in combat (Haulman). With this
new equipment, the Tuskegee Airmen was one of seven fighter groups selected to escort the heavy
bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force (Haulman). The Tuskegee Airmen would rotate on escorting each
bomber wing, their fighter planes had a distinctive red tail on it, to identify that they were American
and what their main mission was (Haulman). During their time in the Fifteenth Air Force, Haulman
reported they had encountered enemies 35 out of 311 missions that they completed for the Fifteenth
Air Force, and seven out of 172 heavy bomber missions, had been shot down my enemy aircraft
(Haulman). Even during World War II, Tuskegee Airmen shot down 112 enemy airplanes
(Haulman), this is how well trained they fought together. According to Haulman "The 332d earned
another Distinguished Unit Citation [on top of what the 99th group received beforehand] for the
only Fifteenth Air Force mission to Berlin, the German capital. The raid took place on March 24,
1945. Three Tuskegee Airmen pilots each shot down a German Me–262 jet that day" (Haulman). Not
only is this a big feat for them because the

The Tuskegee Airman Essay
The Tuskegee Airman For my term paper I chose the Tuskegee Airman. They will alway be the most
influential air squadron during WWII. I think this because there where a lot racist people that did
not want them to succeed, but they did more than just succeed. They became the first black Air
Force pilots. It all started when President Roosevelt arranged a meeting in September 1940 with
three African–American leaders and members of the Army and Navy. During the meeting, the leaders
emphasized three points:(1)equal opportunity for jobs in the defense industry, (2)impartial
administration of the new draftlaw, and (3)an opportunity for qualified blacks to learn to fly in
desegrated units.*1*...show more content...
The two air fields were Moton Field and the Tuskegee Army Air Field(TAAF). About six miles
from the fields was the town of Tuskegee. It was very hostile toward blacks, especially its sheriff.
At the TAAF base, very diverse entertainment was offered. Musicians such as Louis Armstrong and
Lena Horne, other celebrities like Joe Louis and the Camel Caravan Orchestra. The first trainer
plane used by the squadron was the PT– 17.*4*It was a biplane with unretractable landing gear. The
instructor rode with the cadet during the first practice, whether the trainee knew how to fly or
not. Before the cadets could earn their wings, they had to complete three phases of the training.
These were the primary, basic and advanced courses. In the primary and basic, the cadets would
have ground school classroom courses and flying lessons. In the advanced, the cadets would
concentrate on military flying. On September 2, 1941, Captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr. became the
first black man to officially solo an aircraft as an officer of the Army Air Corps.*5* A few days after
Davis's solo flight on December 7,1941, in the midst of class 42C's training, the Japanese bombed
the US Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. That next day the United States declared war, joining
allies

Tuskegee Airmen Research Paper Outline
Thesis: The Tuskegee Airmen were an elite group of the first African American pilots in the U.S.
military.
I.The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military pilots in the United States Army Air Corps
(AAC).
A.Until this point, African Americans had assisted in wars, but were never officially part of the
American military pilots.
B.Racism was still very strong and this kept the African Americans from even getting to help defend
their own country. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, hopes for a change in segregation arose and the
military started the 'Tuskegee Experiment.'
II.The Tuskegee Airmen faced tremendous racial discrimination and segregation in the U.S. military.
A.All African Americans trained at a separate location from the whites, there were...show more
content...
If anything, the harsh treatment that these pilots were given just fueled them to push themselves
harder. This was a huge step forward for the African American community away from segregation.
Obviously, it was not an immediate result, but they were able to prove their capabilities and worth
through the Tuskegee Airmen.
III.The Tuskegee Airmen were not even allowed to 'seek and destroy', but were merely used as
shields for the Caucasian bombers.
A.The Tuskegee Airmen were expected to protect the bombers from enemies while the bombers
reached their destination and made it back home.
B.This was another form of discrimination and segregation because the Tuskegee Airmen were not
even allowed to fight. They were only allowed to be a target essentially. This was an attempt against
the Tuskegee Airmen, but they used it to their advantage and ended up setting a new record for
never losing a bomber.
IV.The Tuskegee Airmen overcame racial segregation in theUnited States military.
A.The Tuskegee Airmen overcame racial segregation and became the most respected fighter groups
of World War II.
B.These men provided a huge step forward for all of the African American community to a world
more welcoming to their

The Tuskegee Air Force Study
In 1925, Army War College conducted a study which concluded that blacks were mentally inferior
and "barely fit for combat." Throughout World War I, African Americans had fought to show their
patriotism, and worthiness of equal rights. They fought to win the respect of their white
neighbors. The thing they got in return wasn't equal rights, but a study saying that blacks weren't
fit for combat. So when World War II came around, blacks were very eager to join because they
wanted to prove studies like the 1925 Army War College study wrong. Despite not only proving the
study wrong, but also being the best air force unit of World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen were still
treated and looked upon as inferior by the very people they fought to protect....show more content...
There was once a rumor that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber while escorting them. The
truth is that the Tuskegee Airmen did lose bombers, just not as many as other squadrons had. The
typical air fleet lost 46 bombers, while the Tuskegee Airmen only lost 27. The Tuskegee Airmen
were also credited for sinking a German destroyer by only using machine guns. While this was not
entirely true, the Tuskegee Airmen did in fact severely damage the German torpedo boat, knocking
it out of the war for good.
Lee Archer was undoubtedly the most famous of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was the only Tuskegee
Airman to make ace, a highly sought after flying achievement given to pilots that shoot down five or
more enemy aircraft. At the time when Lee Archer made ace, documents showed that Lee Archer
only claimed to have shot down four enemy aircraft, and he and another pilot both claimed victory
for shooting down a fifth aircraft. An investigation many years later revealed that Lee Archer
actually dealt the damage that destroyed the aircraft, and the Air Force declared him an

The Tuskegee Airmen Essay
Uchenna Ekeh
Mrs. Reed
Composition and Reading
21 February 2012
The Red Tails: Their influence from the ground and up. Being the first of anything is never easy,
especially when you are representing a whole race. Knowing this, it was difficult for the Tuskegee
Airmen, a.k.a. Red Tails for the red mark on the tail of their aircraft, to participate in World War II
as the first African–American pilots in history. They served from 1943–1945, collecting marvelous
records and earning great respect for their performance. But most importantly, the Red Tails helped
attain equal rights for African–Americans. The Tuskegee Airmen showed persistence in the struggle
to participate in the war, which set a precedent for colored–people, they showed...show more
content...
The continuing inefficiencies caused by segregation so hampered the training efforts of the 477th
that it never obtained full strength before the war's end and was thus never assigned to
combat."(McLaurin Melton 1032). Segregation was a major limiting factor of Black aviation,
however, through pressure from several directions, the American Air Force yielded and created one
of the five fighter groups, which was a great advancement. When the African–American fighter
groups finally graduated from Tuskegee University, with great pride and courage, they proved that
African–Americans are capable of doing anything other can do. The Tuskegee Airmen graduated
from Tuskegee University and formed 4 all–black squadrons which would merge to become the
332nd squadron in Spring of 1943. When they were given their first mission to strafe the island of
Pantelleria, they did not fail. In jaded, old P–39 and P–40 aircrafts, documented by the national
museum of the United States Air Force, it is recorded at that same day, that the Allies, "secured the
Italian island of Pantelleria."("Davis leads the 99th into Combat"). It continues, stating," The unit
scored its first aerial victory against the Luftwaffe on July 2 when Lt. Charles B. Hall shot down a
Focke Wulf Fw 190 on his eighth

Tuskegee Airmen Accomplishments
There are many influential people in history that do not get the recognition they deserve. Often times
many critical and important events and names get buried within the world's history, while others
outshine them and take all the credit. For example, most people recognize Martin Luther King Jr. as
a major civil rights activist, but they tend to forget people like A. Phillip Randolph and Thurgood
Marshall, even though one organized the walk to Washington and the other also risked his life to get
freedom for his people and wanted change. The same goes for the Tuskegee Airmen that fought for
this country at point in history. The Tuskegee Airmen were the firstAfrican American division that
fought in the war by air warfare. They kept their morale high even while facing segregation and
racism from their leading officers and other divisions. Not only this, but their own country that they
were fighting for, did not have any respect for them.

Tuskegee Airman Essay
The Tuskegee airman were a group of African American pilots who fought in the Second World
War. They are well known in history due to the fact of their high success in missions and that they
were the first squadron to be all Black. They fought stationed in both Italy and Germany and when
the war in Europe was over some of the squadron even fought in the pacific against the Japanese.
When talking about the Tuskegee airmen not only are the pilots considered a part but also everyone
who helped them complete their missions including navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and
support staff, and instructors. The work that the Tuskegee airman did was invaluable to our country
and helped progress the civil rights movement.
During early parts of American entry into World War 2 various newspapers and civil rights were
pushing for an all–African American squadron. Due to the pressure in 1941 the air force opened a
new squadron in the Tuskegee Air Fields in Alabama which is how they got their name. After their
training in Tuskegee they moved to Michigan to prepare more for the missions coming ahead. In
1943 the Tuskegee air squad was deployed in to Italy to run simple missions for the US. Most of
...show more content...
This is where they got their iconic name "The Red Tails". It was given to them due to the fact that
other pilots would often identify the squadron's planes red tails. They began to switch from the
normal combat missions and began running bomber escort missions to escort large planes into
Germany from Italy. These missions were extremely dangerous considering how much of a
strategical value it would have to intercept one of these bombers flying over the coast. The red
tails were so efficient on these carrier missions they only allowed 27 carriers to get shot down.
This is way above the average as other squadrons would normally allow 46 of the bombers they
were escorting get shot

Tuskegee Airman's Impact On African Americans
332nd and 447th
The 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces
weren't thought of as people who can accomplish something. Since they were all African American,
it was the first of its kind. If anything, the main thing was help protect America, and make history
doing it. It wasn't just African American pilots either. You cannot forget the other African American's
who helped them along the way. They had the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew
chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel for the pilots. Even with all these people, the
government still doesn't think that they should be given up to date equipment. Despite being
allowed weapons to help protect their home, they had...show more content...
As I was talking about before, they did their jobs efficiently and responsibly, which gave them
chances to do even better jobs to then lead them to where they are at now in history. All they did
was protect their country in its time of need and be the first ones to do it in their skin color,
culture, and heritage, despite all that they went through. They lost many people along the way, but
in the end, there sacrifice was what made it possible for America to still be as it is now. Doing what
they needed to do was what helped them make history. One of those who helped make their history

Tuskegee Airmen Impact
The impact of the Tuskegee Airmen include that they bettered education, built confidence, expanded
the army forces, and led to a stop of discrimination. The Tuskegee Airmen were powerful, dedicated
young men who became America's first black military. They came from a period where they were
thought of as lacking intelligence, skill, courage, and patriotism. Besides this opinion, they worked
to prove that they were better than that. Members came from various states across the U.S. including
New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Each one possessed
determination to serve the United States Air Force at the best of his ability.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of African–American men who had many impacts on
people...show more content...
Frederick DOuglass Patterson, a veterinary scientist and the head of the college's School of
Agriculture took over presidency at Tuskegee Institute. Patterson urged African Americans at
Tuskegee to seek greater opportunities in vocational education. He emphasized better education in
trades and programmatic acceptance of racial segregation. He wanted blacks to have access to the
technologically advanced, high–paying jobs and prepare them for careers as pilots. He bettered
aviation mechanics, air traffic controllers, and flight instructors."By the end of the war, 992 men
had graduated from Negro Air Corps pilot training at Tuskegee; 450 were sent overseas for
combat assignment. During the same period, about 150 lost their lives while in training or on
combat flights, and 32 were held as POWs by the Nazis." Despite the desire of seeing black men
in the military forces, they worked against this idea. The aviation worked hard, and tried to be the
best they could be. They weren't afraid to face challenges. They received more than 10,000
supporters during World War 2 because of their confidence. Their success in combat would show
blacks and whites that blacks didn't lack the duties of a citizen and therefore deserved citizenship
and equal

Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were very good pilots and became famous for doing excellent work. One of
their jobs was keeping enemy fighter planes away from heavy bombers. All the men who flew in
the bombers were white. But the Tuskegee Airmen were so good at protecting bombers that bomber
crews started asking for the Red Tails to fly with them.

Tuskegee Airmen And The Civil Rights Movement
Kyle Ondar
Dr. Adair
WGS 252
31, March 2017 Tuskegee Airmen Many people know of the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, they
were the first African American Fighting group that flew combat missions for the United States
military in World War II. Throughout their time overseas they were breaking down racial barriers
by proving that colored men can fly a plane just as well as their white aviation counterparts. In
order to get their chance to prove that they were able to serve their country, many things had to go
right before they were allowed to take their wheels off the ground. They faced constant
discrimination but because of that discrimination they were able to conquer the stereotypes and rise
to become some of the most decorated...show more content...
This was a huge stop on the way to success of having the first class of recruits leave the airfields
and move into combat. The wife of the president gave encouragement and fully backed the Tuskegee
Airmen and gave them determination and consequently the space to push out the first class of
recruits.
Before this could happen there were a few problems on the camp that the recruits had to
overcome. One of which being Colonel Von Kimble. As the commanding officer on the base, he
oversaw the day to day operations of the entire base including, the training regimen and schedule of
the current recruits. Von Kimble was a white man that was not very supportive of the program
making it near impossible for expansion and advanced training to occur on the base. Col. Edward
Glenn makes the point in his interview with Studs Terkel that "even on the base in training the
whites ate separately then the blacks". Von Kimble kept tight to the law of the land Alabama and
did not deviate from the mentality that the southerners had adopted throughout the the
decades.(Terkel) In December of 1942 Lt. Col. Parrish became the director of operations due to
this, Von Kimble was relieved of his duties. Lt. Col. Parrish was much more cognizant of
segregation and pushed for a completely desegregated airfield. (Historynet) He refused to cut corners
and was determined to see the recruits as nothing more than trainees and not races. This
determination and resilience helped to

The battle of African Americans for more noteworthy parts in North American military clashes
traverses four centuries. Open doors for African American support in the U.S. military were
continuously extremely constrained and dubious. Shares, avoidance, and racial segregation were
based on the common disposition in the United States, especially with respect to the U.S. military,
that African Americans did not have the scholarly limit, fitness, and aptitudes to be fruitful
contenders. Political weight applied by the dark press, social equality bunches, verifiably dark
schools and colleges, and others, brought about the development of the Tuskegee Airmen, making
them a fabulous case of the battle by African Americans to serve in the United States military. In the
mid 1940s, key pioneers inside the United States Army Air Corps (Army Air Forces) did not trust
that African Americans had the scholarly ability to wind up effective military pilots.Subsequent to
succumbing to the weight applied by social liberties gatherings and dark pioneers, the armed force
chose to prepare a little number of African American pilot cadets under extraordinary conditions.
Despite the fact that partiality...show more content...
Demonstrated on the polished methodology of Chief Alfred Anderson, Benjamin O. Davis, and
Daniel "Chappie" James, their execution prepared for integration of the military, starting with
President Harry S Truman's Executive Order 9981 in 1948. It additionally set the phase for common
rights upheld to proceed with the battle to end racial segregation amid the social equality
development of the 1950s and 1960s. Subsequently, the account of the Tuskegee Airmen constitutes
an effective and fundamental illustration for the battle of dark opportunity in America.( "The
Tuskegee Airmen: 5 Fascinating

Tuskegee Airman Essay
In the hard times of 1940, who knew what would be a good idea for world war two. Such as a
distinctive group called the Tuskegee Airman. The Tuskegee Airmen was an African American
experiment originated in Tuskegee Alabama. The Airman were made up of three squadrons with
about 30 fighters that made up the experiment. This was so because the United States did not believe
that African American pilots could be capable of flying planes of war and strategy .The groups
were the 332nd fighter group and the 477th bomber squadron. They believe that African American
would run away from a fight and act cowardly. According to the Air Force Commission offices at
the time. The first cadet class began in July 1940 and went for nine months to March of 1941. By
1942 the experiment was turned into a base...show more content...
But before that they received more training in French Morocco before their first really important
mission. On June 2 1943 a attack by the germans on pantelleria island, a italian island over the the
mediterranean sea. The mission was for the Airman to supply cover for the boomers to get to
their targets and back. In the whole wave process the Americans did not lose any planes to the
German Fighters.After the great progress during this time the united states started three more
squadrons. The last Tuskegee captain Milford Craig died this month in California he was great
fighter during the war. Also another veteran Vernon Joseph Backer received the Medal of Honor
which is the largest and highest honor and person can be giving for his great actors in World War
2. But a really there are two important man that stand out and that's captain Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
He was one of the first officers in the Air Force as a black African American. Also he was
commanded by major James Ellison which is also one of the first African American

The Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee airmen, also known as the Red tails, were the first group of African–Americans pilots
in the United States Military. These brave men fought throughout World War II and became
trailblazers for many aspiring black individuals. The Tuskegee airmen played a crucial role in
defending the nation in World War II, which occurred between September 1, 1939 to September 2,
1945. The men who took part in this historical event became the first steps to the integration of the
United States Military.The Tuskegee airmen were established due to "a combined effort of Tuskegee
Institute and the Alabama Air Service, [which was] a commercial flying operation at Montgomery's
municipal airport." However, in order to legally conduct these programs,...show more content...
As the war went on, many individuals were inspired by the 99th squadron and decided to join
themselves, Consequently this led to the formation of the 332nd fighter group which consisted of
"the 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302d Fighter Squadrons." These four squadrons were the only groups of
African–Americans to enter combat in World War II .By the end of war "996 pilots and more than
15,000 ground personnel who served with the all–black units [to] be credited with some 15,500
combat sorties and earn over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements." In
Conclusion, the Tuskegee Airmen faced several obstacles to become who they are. In the detrimental
time frame in American history when racism and segregation existed, it took the brave men to step
up and fight for equality in the military and the United States. The Tuskegee Airmen went through
many trials and tribulations to open the path to many more African–Americans to not only become
pilots, but to strive for things that may seem impossible and make a

Research Paper On Tuskegee Airmen
When I was in middle school, I had the fortune of meeting Lieutenant Calvin Spann, one of the
original Tuskegee Airmen at my city public library. Lieutenant Spann discussed his adventures as
pilot in World War II, the racism he encountered while serving and when he returned home, and how
important it is to obtain an education. Prior to attending the presentation, I knew very little about the
heroic story of the Tuskegee Airmen. After attending the presentation, I was inspired to find out
more about this amazing time in history and these amazing men. When I saw that this essay topic
was entitled, "If not for them...where would we be?", I knew the answer for me was the Tuskegee
Airmen because of the impact they had on the lives of African Americans....show more content...
Truman entered an executive order directing equal treatment and opportunity in the Armed Forces,
which ended racial segregation, but not racism. The Tuskegee Airmen proudly accepted their
mission. Their unwavering patriotism, coupled with their outstanding accomplishments, paved the
way for historic change in the efforts to achieve racial equality.
Since the inception of the Tuskegee program, 2,483 persons were admitted as pilot trainees. Only
996 pilots in 44 classes graduated from the Tuskegee Institute. Of the pilots that graduated, 352
were deployed to Europe for combat. 84 Red Tails lost their lives while fighting overseas during
World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen flew a total of 1578 missions, had 112 aerial kills, and
received numerous awards and recognition. The Tuskegee Army Field closed on August 20, 1946.
On September 6, 2015, Lieutenant Calvin Spann died at his home in McKinney, Texas, where he
lived to be close to his daughter, Dr. Carla Spann. Lieutenant Spann's obituary detailed his
accomplishments as a fighter pilot, including flying in 26 combat missions. Also mentioned was
Lieutenant Spann's encouragement for young people to value an education. I remember when
Lieutenant Spann told those in the library audience, including myself, how important education was
and not to take it lightly. His words inspired me to do well in school, especially math and

Essay On Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were the first all African American Airmen. Based in
Tuskegee Alabama the term Tuskegee Airmen refers to all involved in the Tuskegee Experience.
That included pilots, navigators, all the personnel who kept that planes in the air, and all the support
staff instructors. Tuskegee Airmen were not commonly known until the late 1950's early 1960's
during the Civil Rights movement. Many of the most famous Fighter Groups were the 99th, the
100th, the 301st, and the 302nd. The Airmen flew P–51 Mustangs and escorted American B–17's
and B–24's. They struggled in the beginning of their careers because of the racial tension in
America. Many Officers were incarcerated because they resisted segregation. Most of the times they
were...show more content...
So many groups painted designs on there tail wings so they know the difference. The Tuskegee
painted their wings red that gave them the nicknames Red Tails. They went from being unwanted to
being requested. General Colin Powel, former Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff and stated "The
Tuskegee Airmen served a nation not willing to serve them" The Airman had to deal with the
segregation, the racism, and discrimination while serving for their country. The men you became the
Tuskegee Airman came from all over. The main numbers came from New York City, Washington,
Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Detroit, every person wanting to serve the country they call
their home. many of these men learned to fly double or single engine planes but they were the best at
it. "Lieutenant Gynne Peirson in the 302nd Fighter squadron used only 50 caliber machine guns,
strafed and sunk the only destroyer that the Airman ever sank." The Airmen never lost a single
bomber that they

The Tuskegee Airmen: Play Analysis
Before World War II, African Americans were banned from joining the United States Air Force. An
initiative known as the "Tuskegee Experiment" trained the first ever African–American Air Force
pilots. The elite and selected few to complete the program became known as the Tuskegee Airmen
("Tuskegee"). These Airmen fought battles on both fronts: Europe and back home, facing adversity
in the form of racial discrimination in a divided United States. In the 1940s, white Americans
continued to ridicule and undermine their African American counterparts, especially in the military.
The Tuskegee Airmen served as an inspiration for civil rights because they proved the intelligence of
African Americans, received little recognition during their time, and...show more content...
However, the simple existence of the Tuskegee Experiment was a major civil rights milestone. Due
to diligence protest and persistence from the African American people, the United States
government created the program in Tuskegee, Alabama to begin training African Americans as Air
Force Pilots. This inspired many aspects of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Through protests, rallies, and marches led by civil rights advocates, President Lyndon B. Johnson
was persuaded to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964, finally granting African Americans their due
rights. From gaining the right to serve in the air force to the Civil Rights Act, the Tuskegee Airmen
showed that civil resistance and persistence was the answer to gaining civil

Tuskegee Airmen Essay

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Custom Paper Services

More from Custom Paper Services (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Tuskegee Airmen Essay