Cradle of Aviation Museum to Salute Tuskegee Airmen With Exhibit Dedicated to Black History Month

Back

During Black History Month the Cradle of Aviation Museum will feature a special exhibit from 10am-5pm on Saturday, February 22nd and Sunday, February 23rd honoring the accomplishments of The Tuskegee Airmen who fought for the right to defend America’s freedom during World War II.

"The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who volunteered to become America's first black military airmen," said Bill Wheeler, Vice President of the Tuskegee Airmen. "Each one possessed a strong personal desire to serve the United States of America proudly and to the best of his ability as an airman, even while many other Americans felt that black men lacked intelligence, skill and courage."

The black airmen who became single- or multi-engine pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee, Alabama. 992 black Americans graduated in aviation cadet classes at TAAF between 1942 and 1946, and also received commissions and pilot’s wings. 450 of the pilots who were trained at Tuskegee served overseas in either the 99th Pursuit Squadron (later the 99th Fighter Squadron) or the 332nd Fighter Group.

The 332nd Fighter Group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany, on March 24, 1945. It destroyed three German ME-262 Jet fighters and damaged five additional jet fighters without losing any of the bombers or any of its own aircraft to enemy fighters. The 332nd Fighter Group had also distinguished itself in June of 1944 when two of its pilots flying P-47 Thunderbolts discovered a German destroyer in the harbor of Trieste, Italy. One of the pilots, Lieutenant Gynne Pierson of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, using only the aircraft's 50-caliber machine guns, strafed the destroyer, causing it to explode and sink.

"After the war in Europe ended in 1945, black airmen returned to the United States and faced continued racism and bigotry despite their war record," said Tom Gwynne, Vice President of the Cradle of Aviation. "As Long Island’s premiere center for education about the history of aviation, we are proud to be able to honor those who served so bravely and who had such a huge impact on post- war American society."

In 1948, President Harry Truman enacted Executive Order No. 9981, directing equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces, which in time led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military forces. This was also the first step toward racial integration in the United States.

Contact: Rubenstein Associates, Inc.
Howard Cannon (212) 843-8072