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JBSA-Randolph pays tribute to Tuskegee Airmen

  • Published
  • By Robert Goetz
  • Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Affairs
The release of the film "Red Tails" this year introduced many movie-goers to the story of a group of American fighter pilots and support personnel who waged a double battle against fascism in Europe and racism in their own country nearly 70 years ago.

This week at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, aviators from the 99th Flying Training Squadron and other members of the base community celebrated the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black fighter group that distinguished itself with a series of successful missions during World War II, by paying tribute to four of the surviving members of that elite unit and the double victory they achieved.

"These gentlemen are the reason we're here this morning," Lt. Col. Jay Fisher, 99th FTS commander, said during the fourth annual Tuskegee Heritage Breakfast at the Taj Mahal. "The sacrifices they made on behalf of all of us are truly inspirational. They are true American heroes."

Fisher, whose squadron traces its lineage back to the Tuskegee Airmen's 99th Pursuit Squadron and 99th Fighter Squadron, said the honorees' accomplishments didn't end with the war.

"They have some amazing stories of not only what happened back then, but what is happening to them today," he said. "They are still blazing trails in their respective fields and are still really doing great work for our country."

The breakfast included a showing of the film "Double Victory," a documentary companion to "Red Tails," the brainchild of George Lucas, who created the "Star Wars" and Indiana Jones franchises. "Double Victory" offers a more true-to-life contrast to the fictionalized account of the Tuskegee Airmen depicted in "Red Tails," telling their story largely through the anecdotes of some of its surviving members, including retired Lt. Cols. Lee Archer and Leo Gray.

Marv Abrams, president of the San Antonio Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Association, told the audience the story of the Tuskegee Airmen "has been one that has been ignored for far too long."

He said a 1995 HBO movie, which starred Laurence Fishburne, "was the first mention of the Tuskegee Airmen and their extremely outstanding service," but it was Lucas who was determined to bring their story to the big screen with "Red Tails."

Abrams said "Red Tails" only told "a piece of the story."

"There were 15,000 men and women involved in the Tuskegee program," he said. "The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is not just a story of the fighter pilots, it's also the story of every man and woman who helped make that program a success ... and has opened up so many doors for all Americans. It's not just a piece of black history, or black American history, it's a piece of American history overall."

President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the creation of the flight training program, which was based at the all-black college Tuskegee Institute and Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. Its ranks soon swelled into the 332nd Fighter Group, which comprised four squadrons that took part in more than 15,500 sorties and more than 1,500 missions in Europe and North Africa. The pilots excelled in their primary mission, escorting bombers in their red-tailed P-40s and P-51s, and played a crucial role in successes in the European theater, but they also had to fight racism and segregation on the home front.

Dr. Granville Coggs, a retired radiologist who was honored at the breakfast along with fellow Tuskegee Airmen Dr. Eugene Derricotte, Thomas Ellis and Warren Eusan, said "Red Tails" and "Double Victory" are a "fantastic documentation" of the trials and triumphs of the black aviators.

"I'm just gratified and appreciative that the story is being told so the younger generations can appreciate what's been done to pave the way for others," he said.

Coggs called the 99th FTS' tribute "heart-warming, unexpected and so appreciated.

"In 1935, when I was 10, I saw the movie 'West Point of the Air,' which was filmed at Randolph," he said. "I couldn't have imagined that I would ever be a pilot or to be honored at Randolph. Today, I was able to park in a parking place reserved for me outside the Taj Mahal."