Tuskegee Airmen

Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. They comprised the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. Despite their great success in combat, they faced discrimination and segregation both within and outside the military.

The unit originated in 1941 as the 99^th Pursuit Squadron, with over 250 enlisted men. They were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Illinois. They faced pervasive discrimination during their training, but despite this setback, they were successfully formed into an entire service arm, including a ground crew. Once the 99^th was prepared for combat duty, it was transported to the African Theater where they began to fight against the German Luftwaffe. The 99^th received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance.

Despite this, the commander of the fighter group that the Tuskegee Airmen were part of told the media that the 99^th was a failure and that its pilots were incompetent. These claims were almost entirely based on racist beliefs. A recommendation for disbandment was narrowly prevented from being sent to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Shortly after that, three new squadrons of African American aviators finished their training at Tuskegee and departed for Africa. After several months, all four squadrons were combined into the all African American 332^nd Fighter Group. The 332^nd gained recognition for their escort of Allied bombers in the European theater. The Tuskegee Airmen became one of the most highly decorated groups in the American armed forces and were attributed with the destruction of a large number of Axis planes and ground targets.

Despite their great success, the Tuskegee Airmen still faced discrimination for some time upon their return to the United States after World War II. Their important contribution to the war effort was not fully recognized until many years later. The Tuskegee Airmen serve as yet another example of African Americans overcoming adversity to achieve greatness, and their story is an inspiration to all Americans.

By: Derek Nielsen