Making Historical Connections

The list had names, phone numbers, and a brief description of each Airman. Col. Wofford added a hand-written note to say that he had already called and written everyone on this list, encouraging them to help us in any way possible. The students now saw that these were actual men who were still very much alive and well, and were only to happy too help us. The cross-generational link was slowly being forged, and the students recognized that they would soon be learning about history from the men who made it.

Almost as soon as I announced the arrival of Wofford's letter, Tony Culpepper, a senior, set himself to correspond with everyone on the list. He had no prior knowledge of the Airmen, but he instantly saw the wisdom in contacting each one personally, to get their individual perspectives. He proceeded to create a standardized detailed questionnaire and a personal cover letter for each Airman. As a class we discussed questions that might be included in a good questionnaire. Before long, Tony got the idea. Eventually, he would quickly stick his head in the room for attendance, then disappear. He typically spent the entire two class periods in the learning center, hunched over the computer, typing away, crafting his questionnaire. He was in a zone.

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Turning Skepticism into Positive Energy

When I asked the students what they thought of inviting a few Airmen to town, no one said was a bad idea, but everyone had at least one question and were not shy about asking it. Would they even want to come? After all, most of these veterans are in their 7Os. What would they do when they got here? What if Dubuque weather in February was bad? While they didn't say anything at the time, several students later confided that they thought I was nuts, that this would never happen. "So where are these guys gonna stay?" "How much is all this gonna cost?" "How are we gonna raise money?" For a small school such as ours, with less than 180 enrolled, fund-raising was not one of our fortes. However, I translated student questions into project assignments. Since everyone was suddenly concerned with where the Airmen might stay, and how much that would cost, the first assignment was to research lodging and accommodations.

Christina Hinkel said she'd be willing to write letters to local motels, but didn't know how to construct a business letter, nor did she know all the names and addresses of the local establishments. But now there was a real reason to learn how to create a persuasive letter, and to make it look just right. After all, she said, the motel operators wouldn't think much of us unless we followed the right format, had all the words spelled right. And we better use our school stationery, too! Miss Christina had contracted Tuskegee fever.

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Making the First Contact

After considerable thought, I assigned myself the task of calling some Airmen and inviting them to Dubuque. At this stage, I felt I had the best overview of the project, and didn't want to have the Airmen decline to participate simply because a student couldn't answer all their questions over the phone. Near the top of the list was Airman Lee Archer, who was credited with being the Tuskegee Airman with the highest number of combat victories in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. He had also earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and sixteen Oak Clusters, and had flown 169 combat missions. (Fifty was the average number for white pilots, after which they'd be reassigned to less hazardous duty.) This sounds very silly now, but when I finally reached Archer on the phone, I hemmed and hawed, and then finally asked the big question: if we paid his expenses, would he be willing to join us for a seminar in Dubuque in February? My reluctance stemmed from the fact that I just didn't want to hear him say no. Through the receiver I heard Lee thumb through his calendar as we talked about the Yankees, and then he said enthusiastically, "Yes, the 23rd of February is open. I'll pencil you in right now." When I hung up the phone I sat down and cried. There was no other way to express my emotions. Not only did I just talk to one of the men about whom I had read so much in doing my own research on the Airmen, but he had just agreed to be a part of our project, whatever it was going to be! As incredible as that was, the next phone call held an even bigger surprise.

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The Tuskegee – Dubuque Connection

Alongside the name of Tuskegee Airman Robert Martin of Chicago, Col. Wofford had typed the three-word phrase, "Dubuque school system." I didn't think much about it. Over the years, our city's ethnic mix had not included many African Americans; I simply could not imagine a Tuskegee Airman connection with it, directly or indirectly. But when Airman Bob Martin came on the line, he exclaimed, "Oh, yes, John, Ken told me all about your project, I think it's just wonderful. How can I help?" I asked him what the cryptic "Dubuque school system" meant. "Why, I attended Lincoln Elementary, Washington Junior High, and I graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1936," he replied. I almost dropped the phone. "I was born in Dubuque, and my father was a well-respected podiatrist." Like the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, the scales fell from my eyes and the entire project flashed in front of me. Here was our Dubuque connection to the Tuskegee Airmen and to American history! Bob said he'd be only too happy to join us.

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The Iowa Connection

Another name on the Wofford list was Airman Joe Gomer, who grew up in Iowa Falls, Iowa, and was now living in Duluth. He agreed to join us, too, and cracked, "As long as you have something for me to do. I don't want to be sitting in my hotel room all day!" Airman Luther Smith, whose mother was a native Dubuquer (!), resided in Des Moines when the war broke out; these days he was just a stone's throw away in Pennsylvania. When I told him the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association may afford him the opportunity to take a ride in a restored AT-6 trainer like the Airmen trained in, he responded, "Well, you won't have to ask me twice!" The genius of Col. Wofford's "Iowa connection" had become apparent. For good measure, we also invited Red Tail Project Director Col. John Schuck and his wife, Diane to join us. Everyone was eager to get involved, even if no one knew in September what in the world we would be doing in less than six months. But they were coming!

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The School-to-School Connection

During a monthly meeting of the school district's social studies chairs, I spoke about the progress that was being made in Tuskegee Airmen research project. Washington Junior High teacher Jeff Johll was thrilled to learn that Airman Bob Martin had attended his school, and he wanted to get involved. We decided that a real live presentation delivered by Central students would be just the ticket to bring his student government class up to speed. Even though he didn't have all that much information under his belt, Central sophomore Drew Brashaw agreed to accompany me to speak to the "Wash" student government. We brought a few posters and some Tuskegee books to pass around. Drew made his pitch:

"We're going to raise money to bring the Airmen to Dubuque in February. One Airman, Robert Martin, was a graduate of your school! We're also going to raise money to make a contribution to The Red Tail Project. This plane will become a flying tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. We're telling you this because we hope you will want to join us."

About a week later, Jeff called me and said, "My students were so honored that you guys would even consider asking us to become involved. They asked if we could watch the HBO movie. When it was over, most of the kids were crying. John, the students are definitely going to do something. I'll get back to you. But count us in."

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Digging into the Research

After watching the HBO movie on the Airmen and discussing its significance, the classroom at Central became a beehive of activity. Students were beginning to make surprising connections between the Airmen and what they already knew about the World War II era.

"Weren't we fighting against Hitler because of his racist policies towards the Jews?" asked Central senior Russ Lewis. Yes, I responded. The belief that some individuals were inferior led to the creation of Nazi extermination camps. "But we were being racist against black people in America at the same time," Russ shot back. "I think we need to write about that, too. You know, compare Hitler's views and ours. Maybe we were just as guilty." Good idea, I responded. We'll turn that research paper into a chapter in our book. Comments and questions generated more comments and questions.

C. J. Patters groused, "Why did they call themselves 'Tuskegee Airmen'?" I pointed him to some reference material in the learning center on Booker T. Washington and Tuskegee Institute, and suggested he begin his research there. "I think we need to know about what the Airmen thought about being discriminated against, and why they would want to fight for a country that didn't support them," Joey Burns piped up. I told him that he should confer with his research buddy Tony right away and make sure those kinds of questions got included in the questionnaire that soon would be mailed out.

"Were there any women pilots in those days?" asked Emily Sanders. My personal study revealed that Bessie Coleman was a dynamic black aviatrix in the 1920s. Even though Bessie had no direct relation to the Airmen, Miss Emily "found" her topic and never looked back. When I challenged her to see if a connection could be made to the Airmen, she concluded that Bessie could have been a role model for the black youth of that day and for the future cadets of Tuskegee. Therefore, she should be in our book. Go for it, I told her.

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The Confederate (Commemorative) Air Force Connection

One day I passed around the photos I took of the P-51C Mustang being restored in Minneapolis. I also "introduced" the students to Col. Wofford and John Schuck. "What's the Confederate Air Force?" sniffed Kenny Heim. "How do they get the money to do this stuff? Who gets to fly the planes when they're completed? How much does it cost to fly these planes they restore? Where do they get spare parts from? Where do they keep the planes? Who owns them when they're restored?" I didn't exactly know those answers, I told him, but if he would write down all the questions he could think of and send them off to the Confederate Air Force Headquarters down there in Midland, Texas, they might just respond. He did and they did. The information Kenny received and interpreted became the basis of a chapter of the research book on the Confederate Air Force. More connections were being made. The momentum was building.

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The Experimental Aircraft Association Connection

The Dubuque chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association is comprised of commercial and military flying enthusiasts. Many chapters, including Dubuque's, are sponsors of a special activity called "The Young Eagles Program." The goal is to provide free opportunities for two million young people to experience the exhilaration of flight by the year 2000. The "no cost" part of the deal particularly appealed to me. I made a few inquiries in mid-November, and announced one day in class that whenever weekend atmospheric conditions were right, there would be an opportunity for any and all takers to ride in a real plane, courtesy of the Dubuque EAA. Four brave souls stepped forward, and soon became the Weather Channel's biggest fans.

By this time the students were taking the research project very seriously, and could carry on a pretty sophisticated conversation about what they had learned and internalized: who the Tuskegee Airmen were; what they had to face; what this project was all about. But you really can't learn about flying by reading a book, or even by watching vintage World War II gun camera footage. You have to strap yourself into a plane, taxi down the runway, and let aerodynamics do the rest. Here were the makings of a great story: Central students discovering the thrill of flight and making an historical connection to the Tuskegee Airmen. On a cold, crisp, and spectacularly clear December Sunday afternoon, the newspaper reporter and photographer showed up at the airport. I introduced myself and brought them over to the table where the students were waiting for their flights. We all sat down, and after she posed her first question, I excused myself and left the reporter with the students. When I returned, the researchers/budding conversationalists were still at it, occasionally glancing out the window to see if the plane they would be flying had returned yet. The reporter was writing furiously. This story would not suffer from lack of information, I thought.

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Making Front Page News

When the Monday morning edition of the Dubuque Telegraph Herald arrived, there - on the front page no less - was a color photo of Central student Jamaica Rupert and her buddies in the cockpit of a Cessna 150 with their head sets on, looking like they owned the airport. The headline read, "Central students identify with Airmen." In the article was the acknowledgment that Central students were planning a public seminar at Loras College in February with actual members of the Tuskegee Airmen, and that they would soon be raising funds to cover their guests' traveling expenses. They were at the airport that day to conduct a little practical research for their book.

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Developing a Personal Connection

The students were now telling the story on their own, and the article was replete with great quotes. An interesting parallel between the perceptions the military had of the Airmen fifty years ago and the public's impression of alternative students today was not lost on Drew Brashaw: "These guys had something to prove. The world didn't believe that black men could fly planes, let alone protect bombers. Sometimes it feels like we have something to prove, too, just because we go to Central. Some people think we're 1azy, and won't ever make anything of ourselves." Anthony Sproule added, "Yeah, these men had to fight to fight. They were fighting to stop oppression over there, but they were still oppression over here." Co-pilot Jamaica added, "When you're up there in the plane, you're going 150 mph, but it feels like 10. The pilots in the P-51s went about 375 mph. I have so many things I want to ask the Airmen." Student Sarah Schmerbach put the whole day in perspective: "When you think of history, you think of dead people. This project is really helping history come alive for us. We're actually going to meet some of these men and talk with them. That's really exciting for something that's school-related." I couldn't have said it better myself.

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Taking the Project on the Road

At the start of the second quarter, my teaching colleague Tim Ebeling joined me, bringing with him five behavior disordered students; teaching associate Carol Cross; and student teacher Ron Vest, who was cutting his professional teeth in Tim's English classes. In order to help the students develop their public speaking skills, Tim set up a series of practice runs for students brave enough to venture into the community. "What makes for a successful and effective public speech?" Tim queried. "Well, you have to make good eye contact," said Amanda Greve. "You need to have a good introduction," added Chris Coffman." You have to give people the idea that you know what you're talking about," quipped Sara Schmerbach. The students' responses became a rubric, and it served us well as they evaluated and critiqued each other's speeches before other volunteers ventured into the community.

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Making an Impact

The efforts of our public speakers soon began to pay off handsomely, so we had more time to focus on the progress of the research book through the month of January. By now, the airfare expenses were totally covered. So were our projected research book printing costs. Anything collected now would go to The Red Tail Project. Drew learned from his research that the Minnesota State Legislature had agreed to match Red Tail Project contributions from outside the state up to $100,000. So one dollar instantly became two. The students' public speaking refrain became, "Help us get the Airmen to Dubuque, and we'll do the rest."

Part 3 The Airment Respond

Overview
Overview

Part 1
Getting Started

Part 2
Making Historical Connections

Part 3
The Airmen Respond

Part 4
The Community Responds