The Tuskegee airmen were pioneers during World War II. In 1941, the U.S. Congress forced the Army Air Corps (which it was called before it became the U.S. Air Force and a seperate branch of the military) to form an all-black combat flying unit.  The War Department (now the Department of Defense) was not pleased with the requirement, so it established criteria that required applicants to have flying experience or a level of education that the department assumed would be difficult to fill. The policy backfired when numerous qualified African-American men not only met, but exceeded the qualifications.

In 1941, the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron was activated in Illinois and became the core of what later became called the Tuskegee program. At the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, the university founded by Booker T. Washington, trainees went through ground, tactical and flying training under the leadership of Benjamin O. Davis Jr., one of the few African-American soldiers at that time to have graduated from West Point. 
 
Facing all kinds of discrimination, segregation, lack of respect, and doubt about their flying and fighting ability, the 99th was finally allowed to serve in combat in 1942.  The earliest actions were involved in the North African campaign where they flew against Luftwaffe in limited action. 

As the Allies invaded Sicily and later Italy, the 99th was attached to the 79th Fighter Group where they were fully engaged in regular bomber escort missions. After scoring an impressive combat record, the Luftwaffe gave them the nickname the “Black Birdmen”. Allied pilots gave them another name the “Redtails” or the “Redtail Angels” because of their distinctive bright red tails and aggressive protection of Allied bombers. During this campaign, they earned the reputation of having never lost an Allied bomber to enemy fighters and were actively requested as escorts by bomber groups, many of whom had no idea the flyers were African-American.

The 445 Tuskegee airmen that were deployed overseas shot down 332 aircraft, including three of the new German jets and destroyed many ground targets. Flying over 15,000 sorties the unit received 12 Presidential citations, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, over a dozen Bronze Stars and several Silver Stars. They also lost 150 of the original thousand pilots during training or in combat.

Being put in the spotlight as pioneers in the initial steps towards integration of the military, the Tuskegee airmen proved that race was not a factor when it came to patriotism, loyalty, bravery and fighting ability.  Even after proving themselves in the war, the Tuskegee Airmen returned to the United States and found themselves being treated as second-class citizens and forced to live under a system of segregation and discrimination. In 1948 President Truman ended segregation in the military with an Executive Order.

Last year, the Tuskegee Airmen were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service and sacrifice to the United States during World War II.
 

African American Pioneers in Aviation – The Tuskegee Airmen
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, Virginia 20151

Date and Time -  Saturday, February 24, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m, Museum is open 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Admission - Free

Parking - $12.00

Transportation – Getting to the Udvar-Hazy Center without a car can be a bit challenging, but is possible, but there are several options. First you need to get to Dulles Airport.  

The easiest way is to take the Metro subway to the West Falls Church station (Orange line) and take a Washington Flyer Coach to Dulles ($16.00 round-trip). Buses run every 30 minutes.

You can also take the Metro subway to L’enfant Plaza (Yellow line) or Rosslyn (Orange line), then the Metro 5A bus to Dulles Airport (cost about $9.00 round-trip).

From Dulles Airport, catch a Virginia Regional Transit shuttle bus to/from the Udvar-Hazy Center daily from 10:45 – 5:50 ever 45 minutes.

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Post from: The DC Traveler