Tuskegee Airman
Segregated squadron aviator
A Tuskegee Airman was a member of the first Black military aviators in the U.S.
Armed Forces, trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama during World War II.
The term covers pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and ground crew of the 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Bombardment Group.
Their distinguished combat record helped challenge racial segregation in the military: My grandfather was a Tuskegee Airman who flew P-51 Mustangs over Italy.
- fighter pilotAirborne military combatant
- segregationForced separation by group
- P-51 MustangAmerican WWII fighter aircraft
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- Red TailsWWII Black fighter pilots
World War II · racial discrimination · aerial combat · escort mission · combat mission · Jim Crow laws · civil rights movement · glass ceiling · Medal of Honor · military service · military strategy · flight training · heroism · squadron leader · activism · flight simulation · wartime logistics · air superiority