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The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American fighter pilots. They fought in World War II.

The Airmen came from all around the country and did not meet each other until they were young men, but they all had something in common: each had harbored a passion for flying from the time he was a kid. When war was declared in 1941, they wanted to serve as pilots in the Army Air Corps. However, even though many of them were licensed pilots, the Army did not want them.

It was the color of their skin that made people think these men – many of whom were attending college at the time - did not have the courage or intelligence to learn to fly and fight. They were victims of racism – being judged by the color of their skin, not who they were inside.

Finally, in 1943, they were given the chance to join the Army Air Corps and train as fighter pilots. Their opportunity was called “The Tuskegee Experiment” and they were expected to fail. The Airmen trained at an air base in Tuskegee, Alabama; they were segregated from the rest of the Army Air Corps because they were black.

The men trained hard because they knew they had to be the best. They learned to work together as a team to reach their goals and to rise above the low expectations people had for them simply because they were black men.

They became excellent pilots, and then they went off to war. Many of the Tuskegee Airmen’s missions involved protecting airplanes carrying bombs to drop over enemy territory. The bombers were big and heavy and they could not quickly maneuver away from enemy fighters. The Airmen’s planes were small and fast. They flew planes like the P-51 Mustang and they painted the Mustangs’ tails bright red so the enemy knew who they were going up against.

In the air, they fought against many enemy fighter pilots, including those of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. The German pilots were very good, but the Tuskegee Airmen were better.

They were better because of lessons they had learned as they trained. Working as a team, the Airmen kept their fast little airplanes close to the big bombers. They did not leave them unprotected by going after the enemy airplanes before they got close. Bravely, they waited, and waited, and waited and then – POW! They faced the enemy, shot many of them down, and chased the rest of them back to their home base.

It wasn’t long before white bomber pilots were requesting the “red tail angels” as fighters for their bomber groups. The Airmen earned hundreds of medals for exceptional skill and bravery as they flew missions from 1943 through the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

After the war was over, they came home to America - the country they fought to protect, the country that still made them sit in the back of the bus and drink out of separate drinking fountains because they were black men. Drawing on what they were taught while training to be pilots, the Airmen worked hard and succeeded as American citizens. Some stayed in the Air Force and were key to getting the entire United States Armed Services desegregated in 1948.

Others became doctors and teachers. Many started their own successful businesses. They had families and taught their children about being persistent through tough challenges and reaching goals. They stayed in touch with and encouraged each other as black men and as Americans.

In March of 2007, to honor their wartime bravery and the example they set by overcoming obstacles big and small in order to reach their goals, the Tuskegee Airmen received the highest civilian honor America can bestow – The Congressional Gold Medal.

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen continues to encourage others to set goals and work to reach them - to rise above.