Detroit - They fought a war on two fronts. In the skies over Europe, they waged a deadly struggle against the Third Reich. On the ground, they were engaged in a different kind of battle against the racism of their own country. They were the Tuskegee Airmen, the black military aviators who flew for the United States during the Second World War even as they were denied civil rights at home.

The story of the all-black airmen , who refused to let racial discrimination stand in the way of service to country, is among the most inspiring of the war. With exemplary courage and determination to overcome adversity, the Tuskegee Airmen helped to open the armed forces to black Americans. Even more, they contributed in large measure to making racial integration a reality in the U.S.

The history of the Tuskegee Airmen had languished in relative obscurity after the fighting ended, but no longer. One of the most fitting tributes is the National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen in Detroit. Staffed by Tuskegee veterans and other volunteers, the museum offers an impressive collection of photographs, art, archival records, a video depicting black airmen in action, model aircraft books and other memorabilia.

A spectacular mural documenting the history of black aviators from the early pioneers like Bessie Coleman, who staged air shows in the 1920s, through to Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut, is among the highlights. So is the Tuskegee honour roll, a memorial listing the names of 66 airmen who died in combat and those killed in training accidents.

The museum is more than a source of inspiration and pride for black Americans of all ages. It is equally thought-provoking for visitors who can only wonder if they would have the fortitude to endure and overcome the mindless prejudice that black aviators had to struggle with.

Tuskegee is a name long associated with a distinguished institution of vocational education for blacks in America, in the deep south at Tuskegee, Alabama. An aviation course was organized in 1939 as a gesture to blacks, who had crusaded for combat roles in the army air corps. They had become increasingly frustrated with being relegated to tasks such as housecleaning and graves registration. Plans began for a segregated air combat unit and in early 1941 the all-black 99th Pursuit Squadron was set up, albeit in reluctant fashion on an experimental basis.

At Tuskegee, Alabama, white officers conduct an inspection of two black pilots.

The aspiring pilots saw the potential of military aviation to dispel the notion that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism. But it was an uphill struggle. Endless training seemed to be the fate of the 99th, prompting criticism from first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, a champion of black aviation. She pressed the military brass to deploy the pilots, who had been trained. Finally in 1943, the 99th went into action, first over North Africa and Italy and ultimately into Germany as part of the 332nd Fighter Group.

Of almost 1,000 black airmen who won their wings at Tuskegee, 450 served overseas in either the 99th or one of three other all-black squadrons which formed the 332nd. The four squadrons flew more than 15,000 sorties and destroyed hundreds of German aircraft. In what many consider to be their greatest accomplishment, they never lost an escorted bomber to enemy aircraft. The 332nd painted their P-51 Mustang fighters with red tails to help the bomber crews identify their protectors.

Many of the bomber crews appreciated the tenacious escort provided by the "red tails." But not always. One pilot, Joseph P. Gomer, never forgot the intolerance within the ranks of the air force.

"A couple of our fighters rescued a crippled bomber and brought them back to base," he recalled of one incident. "The bomber's flight crew came over to look us up and, when the pilot discovered there was nothing but black faces, he turned and walked away."

At home, oppressive and sometimes humiliating military segregation was the enemy of the black airman. Long-simmering frustration boiled over in 1944 when more than 100 black officers were arrested for refusing to leave the segregated officers' club at Freeman Field, Indiana. The mutiny was considered a capital offence in wartime. But the courageous stand paid off with only token punishment for those involved and the replacement of the base commanding officer. Nonetheless, it wasn't until 1995 that the government admitted the arrests were unwarranted and cleared the records.

At war's end, the black aviators faced continued racism upon their return to the U.S. But the stellar record of the Tuskegee Airmen was instrumental in changing attitudes. In 1948 president Harry Truman authorized the integration of the armed forces, far in advance of the rest of American society. By helping to defeat the offensive racial doctrines of the Nazis and racial inequality in the U.S., the Tuskegee Airmen had indeed earned a special place in history.

Article courtesy Gord Mcnulty - The Hamilton Spectator

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