Indiana's Leadership Legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 2)
05 Jul 18
3:00 PM
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4:15 PM
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military aviators in the Army Air Corps, a precursor of the Air Force. They were trained during World War II at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama at a time when racial segregation remained the rule in the U.S. armed forces, as well as much of the country. Much of the military establishment believed black soldiers were inferior to whites and performed relatively poorly in combat. Despite the prevailing attitude, the program graduated some 1,000 pilots and nearly 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators, and other maintenance and support staff. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II. Their impressive performance earned them more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses and helped encourage the eventual integration of the U.S. armed forces. Come and hear the history of these remarkable Americans and of the key role Indiana played in the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.