The Tuskegee Airmen

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The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American fighter pilots (History.com). They worked very hard to become pilots and to be accepted by the community. They were founded by Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (Tuskegee Airmen. Britannica). They were very discriminated against during the war and were not allowed to do certain jobs. They trained at Tuskegee Institute and were not allowed to train with white pilots. They won many awards and had one of the lowest lost men records. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black servicemen as military aviators (History.com). They could be Caucasians or African American. They could be men or women. The Tuskegee Airmen trained to become pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, or …show more content…
They trained in Tuskegee, Alabama at the Army Air Corps Base (Tuskegee Airmen. Britannica). There were only a handful in the 1900s (CAF). They started with the 99th squadron (Tuskegee Airmen. Britannica). Most airmen started by being self-taught. But, they worked very hard and had an abundant amount of passion and skill (CAF). Until 1941, African American’s were not allowed to become pilots (Zuchora Walske, 43). However, FDR began giving them more opportunities (CAF). Until 1941, African American’s were not allowed to become pilots. They were also not allowed to fly cargo planes. There was too much interaction with white units, so they established a completely separate training base (Zuchora Walske, …show more content…
His full name is Charles Alfred Anderson Sr. He was born on Feb. 9, 1907. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and his parents were Iverson and Janie Anderson. Anderson married his childhood sweetheart, Gertrude Nelson. They married on June 24th and had Alfred and Charles, both boys. Growing up, no one would teach him to fly. He picked up most information by watching white pilots. Anderson taught himself how to take off and land. He bought the Velie Monocoupe, a plane, with his own money combined with his family’s money. He earned his pilot’s license in Aug. of 1929. Anderson was also the first African American to get an Air Transport License