Introduction to the Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African Americans
to be trained as WWII Military pilots in the U.S. Army
Air Corps.
This was a time when being black was more of a crime then
being the enemy. Never in our nations' history has the
idea of enemy lines been so blurred or has patriotism
been so clearly defined. The Tuskegee Airmen challenged
America's racist attitudes with the willingness to give
their lives to a country not willing to serve them.
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There were 992 pilots trained at Tuskegee, Alabama while
over 10,000 Black maintenance personnel trained at Chanute
field in  Illinois.
Five hundred fifty bomber pilots and their crews were
trained but the war ended before they were deployed overseas.
The remaining 445 fighter pilots and their crews entered
combat in Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa.
The Tuskegee Airmen were forced to operate as segregated
units and not allowed to train or fight alongside their
white fellow countrymen. To identify themselves they painted
the tails of their aircraft red, thus becoming the "Red
Tails". The Tuskegee Airmen "Red Tails"
carried their hopes and dreams of equality for themselves
and their thirteen million African American countrymen
into battle.
Shunned initially, the Red Tail pilots and their crews
overcame the dire circumstances of discrimination and
their performance became legendary. They soon became
the “requested” fighter escorts by the white bomber pilots.
Flying over 15,000 sorties in more than 1,500 mission, they complied an outstanding combat record. As bomber escorts, the Tuskegee Airmen lost very few bombers to enemy fighters, which earned them the nickname "Red Tail Angels". Sixty-six gave
their lives in combat and 32 were captured as prisoners of
war.
What began as an experiment ended with a path of success
forged for all African Americans. The path however was
not easy. Returning home the Airmen were once again mistreated
by the country they had just defended. But the Tuskegee
Airmen had defeated this racist enemy before and they
would do it again. Using their education they went on
to successful careers in the military, business and education
while continuing the quiet fight for freedom. Unfortunately
this story of how a group of African American aviators
fought and won battles on two fronts: against racism at
home and against facism in Europe has been left out of
most history textbooks. The story can no longer go untold,
not just because of its importance in black history, but
because of its importance in American History.
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Song |
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Contact - Joy stick back -
Sailing through the blue
Gallant sons of the 99th -
Brown men tried and true
We are the Heroes of the night -
To hell with the Axis might
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Fighting 99th.
Rat-tat, Rat-tat-tat -
Down in flames they go
The withering fire of the 99th -
sends them down below
We are the Heroes of the night -
To hell with the Axis might
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Fighting 99th.
Drink-k up-p, Drain your cup-p -
To those daring men
(To those daring men)
Flying torch of flame,
Oh GOD-D - Red White and Blue -
Amen.
For-r We-e Ar-re -
Heroes of the ninth
To Hell with the Axis might
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Fighting 99th
WINGS!!
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