1. The Tuskegee Airmen Neely Whittington, Chris Haugh, Althea Eaton, Thomas Walden

2. Background ● First African American flying unit in the U.S. Military ● Trained at Tuskegee Airfield ● War Department pursued squadron trained to fly single - engined planes

3. Background ● The NAACP fought for African Americans to become pilots. ● Lieutenant colonel Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. became squadron’s first commander.

4. Background ● Training began July 19th ● First mission was on June 2nd 1943

5. Background ● Also known as the Red Tail squadron ● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp2r9-_N5TQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp2r9-_N5TQ ● Flew P-51C Mustang

6. Social Significance ● The highly publicized successes of the Tuskegee Airmen helped pave the way for the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces under President Harry Truman in 1948 ● 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel who served with the all-black units ● They earned over 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements

7. Military Significance ● In 1943 the army activated three more squadrons that constituted the 332nd Fighter Group, with the help of the 99th that joined in 1944 ● It fought in the European theatre ● They were noted as one of the Army Air Forces’ most successful and most-decorated escort groups

8. Awards: ● Presidential Unit Citation (3) ● Legion of Merit (Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.) ● Silver Star (Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.) ● Soldier Medal (Captain Woodrow W. Crockett) ● Distinguished Flying Cross (150) ● Purple Heart (8) ● Bronze Star (14) ● Air Medal (744) ● Red Star of Yugoslavia (First Lieutenant William W. Green Jr.) ● Collectively awarded the congressional Gold Medal by George W. Bush in 2007

9. Battle Records: ● shot down 112 enemy aircraft. ● Had one of the best all time records of not losing bombers ● Total Missions: 1578 ● Total Combat Sorties: 15,533 ● Total Aerial Kills: 112

10. Other Information ● Pilots trained by the Tuskegee Air Field program became part of the second black flying group, the 477th Bombardment Group ● 992 graduated from the Tuskegee Air Field courses ● Flew 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties ● Destroyed 261 enemy aircraft, and won more than 850 medals

11. Hall of Fame or Hall of Shame? Hall of Fame: ● Helped integrate the military ● Successful, award winning battalion ● Improved the image of African-Americans in the armed forces (and general workplace)

12. Citations ● "Tuskegee Airmen." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. ● "A Brief History of the Tuskegee Airmen - Red Tail Squadron." Red Tail Squadron. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. ● "Log in." Britannica School. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. ● "The First Black Pilots in the American Military:Red Tails, The Tuskegee Airmen in World War II." Red Tails: Black Pilots in WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016. ● Brewington, Ron, and Harry A. Sheppard. "Tuskegee Experience"Tuskegee: www.tuskegee.edu, n.d. PDF.