“Tuskegee Airmen” refers to the men and women, African-Americans and Caucasians, who were involved in the so-called “Tuskegee Experience”, the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air. Col. George S. Roberts one of the first African-Americans selected for pilot training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield. He flew 78 combat missions over Europe as well as commanded a fighter squadron during World War II.
The history of Tuskegee Airmen is one of the most inspiring legacies of the Civil Rights era. In 1941, Congress mandated an all-African-American flying unit within the U.S. Army Air Corps. In June, the 99th Fighter Squadron formed at Tuskegee Institute founded in Alabama 60 years earlier by Booker T. Washington.
The African-American squadrons were deployed the following summer in North African and Italian campaigns, which began the record of combat excellence the units established. Black pilots escorted bombers and flew raids. They were employed to protect cumbersome bombers from attack planes by shooting down the attackers.
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