OXEN HILL, Md. - During World War II a group of African-American service members paved the way for equality – overcoming not only their enemy abroad, but Americans who doubted them racially, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here Aug. 5.
During their 40th annual convention, Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley lauded the pilots, mechanics, navigators, bombardiers, instructors and support staff of the Tuskegee Airmen for their incredible history and selfless dedication to the mission and for equality.
The accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen, “in battle, and in changing our nation for the better, must never be forgotten,” McKinley said.
In an age when African-Americans couldn’t stay in the same hotels as white people or attend the same schools as white people, and in some cases couldn’t enter a building through the same door as white people, McKinley asked, “Why then would the Tuskegee Airmen in the 1940s choose to fight for our country?”
“I’ll bet that if you asked the original Tuskegee Airmen … a common answer would be commitment to service and preserving our nation for the next generation to make it better.”
Their service record is the tale of their selfless service in the face of adversity, McKinley said.
“The red tails of [the Tuskegee Airmen’s] fighters could be seen above central Europe,” he said, “escorting bombers, striking enemy targets.
“In 1944, the unit attacked enemy positions on the French coast in preparation for the invasion of southern France.”
The Airmen flew more than 16,000 combat sorties destroying115 German aircraft in the air, 150 on the ground, and 950 German vehicles destroyed. Their commendations include three Distinguished Unit Citations, about 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, one Silver Star, 14 Bronze Stars, 748 Air Medals and eight Purple Hearts.
“If you want an example of excellence, there it is,” he said.
McKinley said the foundations that the Tuskegee Airmen laid out for diversity in the military are apparent to this day, but the armed forces still have a way to go.
“Racial and ethnic minorities and women still lag behind white men in representing the percentage of senior officers in our entire military,” he said. “If the legacy of the Tuskegee experience is one thing, it’s the lesson that each service member should be treated fairly – regardless of his or her background.”
Retired Air Force Col. Charles E. McGee, one of several Original Tuskegee Airmen pilots, said it is commendable to see how far the National Guard and the military has come in the way of diversity. “I think any of the services should represent our population.”
McGee said it was the “nature of the beast” at the time he enlisted, where equal-access was not given to those who wanted to serve, “and those attitudes have shifted fortunately … and action has been taken, but I’m sure there are some places where we’ve still got some work to do.”
McKinley said he uses the Tuskegee Airman as an inspiration to do everything he can make a difference both for the service and for the country.
“Although we can’t make as big an impact on our nation as the Tuskegee Airmen, we can look at them as an example of giving back to the country that which has given us all so much,” he said.
In 2007 the Alabama Air National Guard took a step to preserve the memory of the Tuskegee and deactivated their 160th Fighter Squadron and reactivated it as the 100th Fighter Squadron, which was originally formed in 1944 as part of the all African-American 332nd Fighter Group.