Tuskegee & Obama

[MrBern]

multi-media:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/12/09/us/politics/1194834934577/the-road-paved-from-tuskegee.html

The Road Paved From Tuskegee
The Tuskegee Airmen, the all-black force of pilots during World War II, helped persuade President Harry S. Truman to desegregate the military in 1948. They have been invited to Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20.

 

[Tomasso]

"We were treated better by our German captors than some of our own senior officers treated us on this side of the drink. "

I've heard the same thing from white soldiers.

 

[MrBern]

I had a friend who worked as a guard over some german POWS. I cant recall if he said it was in the SOUTH or the MidWest. But he definitely said the locals were often friendlier to the Germans than the black soldiers. Often refusing to serve the african-american servicemen at the local diners.
They took care of that one day by filling the diner with servicemen til they were served.

So I dont suspect that the Tuskegees didnt face their unfair share of prejudice at home.

 

[Imahomer]

I remember stopping in a cafe in San Francisco around 1970. It was run and frequented by people of color. I went in because it was close to City College (where I was enrolled) and I was hungry. I selected three different things and was told they were out of each one. The last one was a tuna sandwhich! I left when I saw them serving someone else of color one of the items I was told they were out of.

I chalked it up to being part of my education.

 

[$ally]

My troupe performed a USO style show for some local Tuskegee airmen and their families who were honored guests at the event. I have pix somewhere I could share.

 

[ET]

Excellent story

 

[Salv]

I remember stopping in a cafe in San Francisco around 1970. It was run and frequented by people of color. I went in because it was close to City College (where I was enrolled) and I was hungry. I selected three different things and was told they were out of each one. The last one was a tuna sandwhich! I left when I saw them serving someone else of color one of the items I was told they were out of.

I chalked it up to being part of my education.

Well done on being the bigger man. If only the "people of color" had acted with as much dignity as you while their houses and churches were being firebombed, or they were being lynched, or beaten for trying to register to vote. But at least you weren't imprisoned and expelled from school for ordering your food, like Brenda Travis had been just 9 years before you suffered your traumatic experience.

 

[just_me]

I remember stopping in a cafe in San Francisco around 1970. It was run and frequented by people of color. I went in because it was close to City College (where I was enrolled) and I was hungry. I selected three different things and was told they were out of each one. The last one was a tuna sandwhich! I left when I saw them serving someone else of color one of the items I was told they were out of.

I chalked it up to being part of my education.

What point are you trying to make?

 

[Tomasso]

What point are you trying to make?

That racists come in every color. [huh]

 

[Salv]

That racists come in every color. [huh]

Absolutely, and Imahomer being made to feel unwelcome in a cafe is directly comparable to the story of the Tuskegee airmen, who were made to feel unwelcome by their first commanding officer in the North African campaign - Colonel William W. Momyer - who accused them of being cowardly and incompetent. According to Wikipedia, in response to an article in Time magazine based on Momyer's assessment...

...a hearing was convened before the House Armed Services Committee to determine whether the Tuskegee Airmen "experiment" should be allowed to continue. Momyer accused the Airmen of being incompetent—-based on the fact that they had seen little air-to-air combat during their time in theatre. To bolster the recommendation to scrap the project, a member of the committee commissioned and then submitted into evidence a "scientific" report by the University of Texas which purported to prove that Negroes were of low intelligence and incapable of handling complex situations (such as air combat).

Anyone can see the parallels between the two stories.

 

[just_me]

That racists come in every color. [huh]

Racists do come in every color, but Imahomer's original post about his restaurant experience struck me as odd in a thread about the Tuskegee airmen and how they were treated during WWII.

 

[Forgotten Man]

My uncle in northern CA used to own a Stearman bi-plane that he restored from the ground up that was used by the Tuskegee Airmen at their training base. He had a reunion around the plane with surviving members of the group. He said that an instructor was there and he sat in the cockpit of the plane and closed his eyes and then he felt that it was 1943 all over again! They were very grateful for this opportunity to be reunited with one of their planes.

Just last month I was at work for a special event held by the Air Force at the Griffith Observatory. They were honoring the veterans of the Air Force. I met two pilots one was Doolittle's co-pilot in the Doolittle raid, also another Doolittle raider who was in the 7th plane to leave the Hornet... then I also met a Tuskegee Airman... I was so honored to meet them and shake their hands and tell them that it was a real treat to meet such historic figures of WWII. They were very gracious and enjoyed talking a bit about their service.

 

[Lady Day]

That was a great little piece.

LD

 

[der schneider]

there is a 5th grade teacher in town that puts on a tribute to vets with his 5th grade class he has the gym decorated with the golden gate bridge and the statue of liberty on opposite walls. the kids dress up and put on a USO show for the veterans. A local tuskeegee vet has spoken at schools here.

I believe I read that coach Tony Dungy's Father was a Tuskeegee airman

 

[Chas]

The fact that overcoming racism is a battle that has to be fought, refought and fought yet again is mind boggling to me. Generation after generation when you consider:

54th Massachusets Inf. in the Civil War.
The "Hellfighters" of WWI
The Tuskegee airmen.

Somebody explain this to me...

 

[CBI]

George Lucas is producing a film called "Red Tails" about the Tuskegee Airmen that will be released towards the end of 2009. Sounds like it will be good and not the typical "Hollywoodized" blockbuster. Google it but generally very little info made public yet.

 

[imported_the_librarian]

Some excellent resources over at LOC. Here's an example:

http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.13263

Also here's more information:

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm116.html

Searching LOC:

Go here: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pp/mdbquery.html

Try this search phrase:

"United States.--Army Air Forces.--Fighter Group, 332nd--People--1940-1950."

Hit the gallery view for some great shots and information on this awesome fighter group.

---------------------------

Want more? Here's a direct link to the full text Ebony magazine (starts pg. 35) from '62 about a doctor, Col. Marchbank, who was Group Surgeon:

http://www.google.com/books?id=X9cDAAAAMBAJ