Tuskegee Airmen

Like World War II, the U.S. was not fully vested until December 7, 1941, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Just before Pearl Harbor, the U.S. War Department established the 99th Pursuit Squadron. This squadron became the Tuskegee Airmen of the U.S. Army Air Corps, known today as the U.S. Airforce. What was unique about this squadron is that these were the first Black military pilots in the history of the United States. The Tuskegee Airmen and their support personnel trained at airfields near and around Tuskegee, AL, and as far north as Lockbourne, Ohio, to name a few. Young men enlisted from New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles for the opportunity to become skilled, courageous, patriotic, and respected airmen of the United States military.

If one had the mental stamina, they all faced unbelievable racism and met the physical qualifications, and then they were accepted into the program. The young cadets began training in July 1941 and completed their training by March 1942, when World War II was in full swing. Not to get this confused with the understanding that there were Black pilots, but there were none in the military. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, the only Black pilot that you may have heard of was Eugene Bullard. Bullard flew a military aircraft for the French Air Service in World War I.