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I think had they purchased themselves instead of having the government pay for the replacement medal would have been a bit more heart-warming. Surely $42.00 wouldn't have been too much.
There is a lot of misinformation floating around about the Tuskegee Airmen. Many people think that several became aces. Actually, the Tuskegee Airmen produced only one ace, a man named Archer.
Another falsehood was that they never lost a bomber that they were escorting. Actual records show that they did lose bombers that they were escorting.
I suspect the movie with Lawrence Fishburn did a lot to promote those false stories. -
Did they lose the bombers to Flak or fighters?
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I have never researched it to that degree. With all the misinformation out there it would probably be difficult to find out the truth.Originally posted by PlaceOfBayonets View PostComment
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I ask cause this topic is being discussed on gunbroker's forum. One of the guys said he met one of the airmen and was told they never lost any bombers to enemy fighters but they make no claim with reguards to flak from ground fire.Originally posted by DennyB View Post
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Back in Chicago, I had the honor of testifying before the Honorable Judge Earl Strayhorn and the Honorable Judge John Rogers, both Tuskegee Airmen. I will say they were among the most professional judges and true sticklers for the perfect letter of the law. To gain a conviction, your case must have been perfect- a true test of jurisprudence. I also met and testified before the Honorable Judge William S. White, one of the first black US Naval officers of WWII.
I was honored to have met these men and only wish I could have developed a friendship with them.
Bob HritzIn the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Duct tape can't fix stupid, but it can muffle the sound.Comment
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Tuskegee Airmen's Perfect Record May Have Been a Myth
Network NewsX Profile
Associated Press
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
MONTGOMERY, Ala., Dec. 11 -- Since the end of World War II, it has been part of the lore of America's first black fighter pilots: The Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber to enemy fire.
But now, more than 60 years later, a leader of the group says he has uncovered records proving the claim is not accurate.
Air Force records show that at least a few bombers escorted by the red-tailed fighters piloted by the Tuskegee Airmen were shot down by enemy planes, William F. Holton, historian of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., said Monday. And the group's losses may have been much greater, he said.
The president of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Russell C. Davis, said he will no longer claim in speeches that the group never lost a bomber under its escort.
"I'm going to drop [it] until we can get this thing clarified," Davis said. "We've got some homework to do, obviously."
Some surviving members of the group were offended by Holton's findings and those of Daniel Haulman of the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, who came to the same conclusion.
Former Tuskegee Airman Carrol Woods of Montgomery called their claims "outrageous."
"I think they are trying to destroy our record. What's the point now?" Woods, 87, told the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper.
Holton said his sole interest is in making sure the group's history is as accurate as possible.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of black fighter pilots allowed into the U.S. Army Air Corps. They got their name from the Alabama town where they trained.
With some 1,000 pilots and as many as 19,000 support personnel ranging from mechanics to nurses, the group was credited with shooting down more than 100 enemy aircraft and -- for years -- with never losing an American bomber under escort.
Holton, who has been historian of the association for about a decade, said he began leafing through old mission reports after hearing a veteran complain that the Tuskegee Airmen really did lose some bombers.
Holton's research was reported Sunday by the Montgomery Advertiser.Comment
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tuskegee
I posted the story because I thought it was interesting that this poor old WW2 vet had his medal stolen and the airmen were looking out for him and replacing his medal. I did not post it for folks to slam the Tuskegee Airmen and their accomplishments.Comment
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They fought for our country and deserve the same recognition as the other aviators flying bomber escourt missions.
Unfourtunately the change in segregation policy came a bit late for these guys.
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No slamming, simply pointing out the facts. Too often there is misinformation spread for whatever reasons.Originally posted by crowback View PostComment
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I don't know if this is the case or not, but there are way too many scumbags breaking into people's homes and stealing anything they can to fuel their drug problems. This was a nice, feel good story, what these people did for this veteran. Thanks for posting it.Comment
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Link: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_AirmenIn all, 996 pilots were trained in Tuskegee from 1941 to 1946, approximately 445 were deployed overseas, and 150 Airmen lost their lives in accidents or combat. The blood cost included sixty-six pilots killed in action or accidents, and thirty-two fallen into captivity as prisoners of war.
The Tuskegee Airmen were credited by higher commands with the following accomplishments:
-15,533 combat sorties, 1578 missions
- One hundred and twelve German aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground
- Nine hundred and fifty railcars, trucks and other motor vehicles destroyed
- One destroyer sunk by P-47 machine gun fire
- A good record of protecting U.S. bombers,losing only 25 on hundreds of missions.
Awards and decorations awarded for valor and performance included:
- Three Distinguished Unit Citations 99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May–11 June 1943 for the capture of Pantelleria, Italy
- 99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful air strikes against Monte Cassino, Italy
- 332d Fighter Group: 24 March 1945: for the longest bomber escort mission of World War II
- At least one Silver Star
- An estimated one hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses
- Fourteen Bronze Stars
- Seven hundred and forty-four Air Medals
- Eight Purple HeartsComment
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You tell them!!!
Good for you Crowback! I second that, you where merely posting a nice story that happened to include some fine WWII vets and it has to turn into a debate on their flying skills. Give me a break are people that bored? are there no fake badges we can pick apart. Thanks Crowback for posting that nice story. I enjoyed it!! TimOriginally posted by crowback View PostComment
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Glad to see that you enjoy nice stories. My point was not to talk down about any unit but to point out that this story would probably have not been a national story if not for the glamorized stories about the Tuskegee Airmen in the first place.Originally posted by ELECTRIC View Post
Look at the above record posted by Von Olssen, there are many units that have much more outstanding records than that but they are not well known nor have movies made about them because who they were.
Do you seriously believe this story would have ever developed had it been a former infantry PFC who had his Combat Infantrymans Badge, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star stolen from his house? Those awards are just as prized as the Air Corps awards are.Comment
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