THE TUSKAGEE AIRMEN
The film Red Tails is inspired by the true story of America's first all black aerial combat unit—the Tuskagee Airmen, whose planes had distinctive red painted tails.
During World War I, the rejection of African-American men in military avation sparked over two decades of debates, with prominent civil rights leaders leading the effort. At that time, the American military was still racially segregated, with blacks sorted into separate military units headed by white men. When the U.S. government began establishing flight schools at colleges around the country early in 1939, black colleges were excluded because it was believed black men didn't have what it took to be pilots. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor were sympathetic to the movement and on April 3, 1939, Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed, which included an amendment designating funds for training black men to be war pilots.
In 1941 the "Tuskegee Experiment" went into effect and a flight school was established at Tuskegee University in Alabama. The flight program received a publicity boost when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited in March 1941 and went on a flight with African-American instructor C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson. That June, the Tuskegee Airmen entered into combat. The airmen, who showed courage, skill and dedication in combat, completed over 1,500 missions during World War II.
From 1941 to 1946, 996 pilots were trained. Approximately 446 were deployed overseas, of which 66 lost their lives in accidents or combat and a further 32 were taken captive as prisoners of war. They received three Distinguished Unit Citations. Two went to the 99th Pursuit Squadron, for the capture of Pantelleria, Italy in June 1943 and the May 1944 successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy. The 332nd Fighter Group was honored for the longest bomber escort mission of WWII in 1945.
When the war ended, the Tuskegee Airmen returned home with an estimated 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 14 Bronze Stars, 744 Air Medals, eight Purple Hearts and at least one Silver Star.
On March 29, 2007, approximately 300 Tuskegee Airmen attended a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. The airfield where they trained is now a national historic site. On August 1, 2008, Atlanta Georgia officially renamed a portion of State Route 6 in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen. There is also a Tuskegee Airmen Memorial at Walterboro Army Airfield, South Carolina.
Several films have been made about these brave pilots, including the short film Wings for This Man (1945) narrated by Ronald Reagan. In 1996, HBO aired the documentary The Tuskegee Airmen, starring Laurence Fishburne. The documentary Red Tail Reborn aired on PBS in 2008. And in 2012, Red Tails, a film developed by George Lucas and starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard, will hit the big screen.