In a press release this week, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. announced that the U.S. Air Force will ensure the story of the Tuskegee Airmen remains part of its training curriculum.
The organization expressed appreciation for the swift response from military leadership, which reassured them that the accomplishments of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) would continue to be included in the Air Force's training courses.
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI) communicated with several military leaders who are confident that the Airmen's contributions are vital to American military history and should be taught to all Airmen and Guardians attending Basic Military Training.
TAI also expressed gratitude for the support received from veterans' groups and the general public.
Preserving the legacy of the Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTAs) is a top priority for TAI as they fulfill their mission of introducing future generations to aviation and science.
Founded in 1975 by members of the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, TAI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
More than 16,000 African American service members participated in training aircrew members from 1941 to 1949.
TAI aims to preserve the legacy of the original Tuskegee Airmen and inspire the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals through exposure to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The Tuskegee Airmen trained at five airfields surrounding Tuskegee University (formerly Tuskegee Institute): Griel, Kennedy, Moton, Shorter, and Tuskegee Army Air Fields.
The flying unit comprised 47 officers and 429 enlisted men and was supported by an entire service branch. On July 19, 1941, the first class of aviation cadets (42-C) began preflight training at Tuskegee Institute.
After primary training at Moton Field, they transferred to Tuskegee Army Air Field for operational training. This field became the only Army installation conducting basic, advanced, and transition pilot training in one location.
Initial planning anticipated 500 personnel in residence at a time; however, by mid-1942, more than six times that number were stationed at Tuskegee, even though only two squadrons were training there.
Following the end of segregation in the military in 1948, mandated by President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981, the veteran Tuskegee Airmen became highly sought after throughout the newly formed United States Air Force. Some of them taught at civilian flight schools, including the black-owned Columbia Air Center in Maryland.
On May 11, 1949, Air Force Letter 35.3 mandated that Black Airmen be considered for reassignment to previously all-white units based on their qualifications.
The Tuskegee Airmen played a crucial role in postwar aviation developments.
Edward A. Gibbs, a civilian flight instructor who helped launch the U.S. Aviation Cadet Program at Tuskegee, later founded Negro Airmen International, an association for many airmen.
USAF General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. (who was then a lieutenant) served as an instructor in the 99th Pursuit Squadron and later became a fighter pilot in Europe. He made history in 1975 by becoming the first African American to achieve the rank of four-star general.
Post-war commander of the 99th Squadron, Marion Rodgers, worked in communications for NORAD and contributed to the Apollo 13 project.
In 2005, seven Tuskegee Airmen, including Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Carter, Colonel Charles McGee, group historian Ted Johnson, and Lieutenant Colonel Lee Archer, traveled to Iraq to speak with active-duty airmen serving in the modern incarnation of the 332nd, which was reactivated as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group in 1998 and integrated into the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.
Lt. Gen. Walter E. Buchanan III, commander of the Ninth Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces, stated, "This group represents the linkage between the 'greatest generation' of airmen and the 'latest generation.'"
By 2008, few knew how many of the original 996 pilots and approximately 16,000 ground personnel were still alive.
In August 2019, 14 documented original surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen attended the annual Tuskegee Airmen Convention.
As of January 1, 2023, only three members remained.