The Tuskegee Airmen Inc., National Office, announced on social media last week that the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, along with supporters of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial at the United States Air Force Academy, has officially broken ground on a long-awaited project to honor these American heroes.
Thanks to the generosity of Charles Phillips '81 and Karen Phillips, The Boeing Company, and the USAFA classes of 1986, 1990, and 1996, the memorial will feature two striking airplane replicas at the entrance of Davis Airfield: a P-51 Mustang—the aircraft famously piloted by Tuskegee Airmen during World War II—and a Boeing T-7A Red Hawk, which will be painted with a red tail flash to honor the Tuskegee Airmen.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military and flew fighter aircraft in the European and African theaters during World War II, escorting bombers.
Nearly 1,000 pilots graduated from the program, which was initially conducted at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).
These pilots went on to fly over 1,500 missions. General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., for whom the Academy airfield is named, was their most notable commander.
The groundbreaking ceremony featured remarks from Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind '91, superintendent of the Academy; Charles Phillips, a member of the Air Force Academy Foundation board of directors; and former Commandant of Cadets Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Sam Cox '84, representing The Boeing Company.
In related news, the last Tuskegee Airman who flew in combat during World War II has passed away at the age of 100 in Sarasota, Florida.
Lt. Col. George Hardy (ret.) was just 19 years old when he became one of the first African American pilots in the United States. In a 2019 interview, he recalled that he had only driven a car once before he had to operate a Rolls-Royce engine.