Partnering together to support the CAF Red Tail Project

The CAF Red Tail Project received a $5000 donation on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Chanute Air Museum and the Tuskegee Airmen, Chicago DODO Chapter. The check was presented to them at Oshkosh Air Venture by Ron Fagen when Director Rick Steele, Tuskegee Airmen Robert Martin and President Beverly Dunhill, with Dick Hill toured the P-40 Warhawk owned by Mr. Fagen.

Many thanks for their support and we encourage everyone to visit the incredible museum at the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum. For more information please visit their web site at www.aeromuseum.org

LOCAL TUSKEGEE HEROES HONORED

On Wednesday, February 1, 2006, an enthusiastic and diverse group of people came together in a wonderfully weathered airplane hangar to honor some World War II veterans with a unique claim to fame – they were Tuskegee Airmen and it was their day! How do we know it was their day? Well, for starters, the mayors of both St. Paul and Minneapolis went out of their way to proclaim it so.

This special event was bookended with Larry Brown, Vernon Hopson and Kenneth Wolfford being honored guests on not one but two radio shows, fielding questions about their exploits as bomber escort fighter pilots and soldiers, and how hard they had worked within the segregated armed services to be allowed to fight for their country.
KFAN’s Mike Morris and Chris Hawkey hosted the first radio show from 6-9 a.m. This show had a tremendous sense of immediacy because it was actually produced at the hangar. A steady stream of visitors listened and watched as Mike and Chris led a wide variety of discussions about sports, airplanes and the challenges of being a black man in a white man’s army during the early ‘40s.

At 9:00, the school kids started to arrive by the busload to look at the exhibits, talk with tour guides and inspect the aircraft tucked into the hangar. Joel Brown, a Tuskegee Airmen reenactor and a member of the WWII Reenactment Society, was a special treat for these special visitors as he showed off the actual uniforms and gear used by the Airmen as they served their country. He did an awesome job of informing while entertaining.

The 5th graders from the Farnsworth Elementary Aerospace program had a special gift for the CAF Red Tail Project. They raised $154 through a school-sponsored reading contest and gave that money to the Project to help with the reconstruction of the P-51C. Their gift, presented ceremoniously to Brad Lang, the son of a Tuskegee Airman, was accepted with thanks and assurance that the money will be put to good use. The students are cordially invited to return to see the beautiful red-tailed “Tuskegee Airmen” when it’s ready to take to the air again so they can appreciate what their contribution helped to build!

In honor of the Tuskegee Airmen, Justin Anderson sang an original composition entitled “My Kind Of Hero” to kick off the brown bag lunch discussion that included a presentation outlining details of the CAF Red Tail Project.

After lunch, a feed from the festivities at the hangar to WCCO Radio’s Al Malmberg and Jack Rice went live which allowed ‘CCO listeners to hear the Tuskegee Airmen honorees talk about their history, their planes and their resolve to fight the Luftwaffe AND racial discrimination. It’s not every day that history is presented in such a lively and engaging manner by those who lived it!

The day wound down but not before other notable guests made the drive to the hangar, including W. H. Tyrone Terrill, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman’s Human Rights Director, and Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s representative, Jeremiah Ellis. (The hangar is in Ms. McCollum’s legislative district.) Like many others who attended the Open House that day, they took time from their busy schedules to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy of honorable service and the Red Tail Project, which supports that legacy.

Throughout the day, attendees registered for prize drawings, including aviation art courtesy of Eyes of the Wild gallery and “flight” sessions at A.C.E.S. Flight Simulators, featuring a P-51 Mustang (a new addition). Prizewinners were announced at the end of the day but those who attended the Open House on February 1 didn’t have to win a prize to know that they had been part of something really special – Tuskegee Airmen Day!

The CAF Red Tail Project
CAF Red Tail Project Mission Statement: Identify and preserve the history of the Tuskegee Airmen through an aviation education program, and restore a symbol which will represent the contributions of African Americans who served our country during WWII and serve as an inspiration for the youth of today.

To get the P-51C back in the air and expand the educational program, members of the CAF Red Tail Project Board have set a fund raising goal of $2 million. All proceeds and donations will help support the educational program and to restore the Tuskegee Airmen's Red Tail Mustang back to flying condition. All donations are tax-deductible,and can be made with Visa or MasterCard.
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Photos provided
by Joel Ludwigson