About the Tuskegee Airmen

The first black flying unit in American military history was the 99th  Pursuit Squadron, later redesignated as the 99th Fighter Squadron. It was activated at Chanute Field, Illinois, in March 1941, but it did not at first have any pilots assigned, because those pilots had not yet been trained. Personnel of the squadron trained as airplane mechanics and in other specialized duties that would support the unit’s pilots once those pilots were trained at another base. https://www.redtail.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/A-Short-History-of-the-Tuskegee-Airmen.pdf

These African American pilots were known as The Red Tail Pilots. Their mission during World War II was to provide cover for the bomber planes.  The pilots were only allowed to serve in segregated squadrons and had to overcome prejudice and misconceptions about their ability to fly in order to carry out their duties. In spite of the poor treatment and racism they endured, the pilots turned out to be some of the best bomber escorts that we have ever had.

In 2016, the board of Directors of the Springfield & Central Illinois African American History Museum worked to bring the Tuskegee Airmen “Red Tail” Exhibit to Springfield, IL.  Over 500 School district students attended the traveling exhibit and visited the “Red Tail” exhibit at the Museum.

TUSKEGEE AIRMEN’S PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

So what can we learn from the Tuskegee Airmen?  While we don’t face “Jim Crow” laws or open segregation today, all of us have some form of adversity we must overcome.  By using the Tuskegee Airmen as examples, we can learn principles that will help us overcome our trials and “Rise Above” those trials to accomplish great things.  Here are the six principles the Tuskegee Airmen taught us:

AIM HIGH
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
USE YOUR BRAIN
BE READY TO GO
NEVER QUIT
EXPECT TO WIN

https://www.redtail.org/rise-red-tail/six-guiding-principles/

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Links with more information

Red Tails
https://www.redtail.org/

High School Resources from NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/tuskegee-hs-print.pdf

Reach and Teach, "The Tuskegee Airmen Project"
http://www.reachandteach.com/dls/tuskegee.php