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Tuskegee Airmen breathe life into Living History Display

  • Published
  • By John Ingle
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Five Tuskegee Airmen sat patiently Oct. 20 at Sheppard's 2007 Open House and Air Show, not rushing time, but not wasting it, either.

They understood the enormous heritage they molded more than 60 years ago and proudly displayed as part of the Tuskegee Living History Display. It was about breaking down walls and stereotypes. It was about laying the foundation for thousands who would follow.

They shared their heritage with those who wandered through their tent, not to seek the honor and accolades they so richly deserved, but to educate anyone who would listen that the impossible is possible.

Calvin Spann, a member of the famed 100th Fighter Squadron and veteran of 26 combat missions in World War II, said sharing his experience and the hardships of the Tuskegee Airmen is one of his favorite subjects.

"I want to encourage our youths, and any youth, to have an 'I can do' attitude," he said.

At the time, many felt African-American men couldn't handle the stresses of being a combat pilot during the war. Mr. Spann said he was set to prove them wrong.

"I defied them," he said. "I'm standing here today to say I proved them wrong."

But it's not just about proving someone wrong, he said, it's about doing a job as best as one can.

The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II did just that - they didn't lose a single bomber during escort missions from the time they were activated through the end of the war. Mr. Spann said their orders were simple - escort the bombers to their targets, bring them home and then come home.

Retired Maj. John Ferris, a B-24 pilot during the war, flew 17 missions in Italy with the 15th Air Force during the war. All were escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen.

"They were with us all the time," he recalled. "We never saw any fighters. They were out there, but we never saw them."

He said the "red tails" -- a common term for Tuskegee Airmen aircraft because of the red tail sections of their aircraft -- were always on his wing tips during every mission he flew. Mr. Ferris said they hit oil refineries, ball bearing factories and fighter fields, to name a few.

Despite some of the racial slurs and connotations associated with the Tuskegee Airmen, Mr. Ferris said he didn't hear -- or think -- anything differently of the African-American pilots. He said he was glad to have them as escorts.

That is not true, though, of the perception of others during the war, or even after the war, for that matter. Mr. Spann said African-American combat pilots found employment as commercial airline pilots hard going after the war. That's one reason Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., was founded. He said the group petitioned major airliners on behalf of African-American pilots to provide an opportunity to fly commercial airliners.

Today, he said airliners employ more than 700 African-American pilots, including four women.

Regardless of the success the Tuskegee Airmen have had over the years, Mr. Spann said their goal is simple -- to teach youths they can do what they want with an education.

Mr. Spann said he knew he did his job several years ago when a young man approached him at an event. The young man told him his father was a bomber pilot during World War II.

"He said his father said 'If it wasn't for the red tails, you would've never been born,'" Mr. Spann recalled.

If not for the red tails, an entire generation of pilots and maintainers might have been lost.