Tuskegee Airmen MC Warner Robins, Ga

Tuskegee Airmen MC at Black Dusters MC, Cordele, Ga

Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club, Warner Robins, GA and the National Association Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club announces the engagement of Spinner (President, TAMCWR) and Trinity (Vice President, TAMC Boston)! Spit Fire!

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NATAMC Home | NATAMC The National Association of Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club Roy Too Strong Gows founded the Tuskegee Airmen National Committee in 2012. Now referred to as  NATAMC (National Association of Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club) for the purpose to assist in opening new chapters and fostering unity and fel...

National Association Tuskegee Airmen Motorcycle Club 20th Anniversary, Little Rock, Arkansas

George Washington Carver Festival, Tuskegee, AL

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We were incredibly fortunate to have Daniel Keel, one of only five to receive a triple airman rating – pilot, navigator, and bombardier- with us at MacDill Air Force Base this March to see our P-51C.

At 101, he's showing the world he's still got plenty of living to do!

Learn more about this amazing Airman at: https://cafriseabove.org/daniel-keel/

Congratulations to our new full patch member, Freez! Welcome

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Look at this beautiful painting of Tuskegee Airman Claude C. Davis by Stan Stokes. Davis joined the war effort in 1944, at a time where, when completed pre-flight, primary flight, and basic flight, they needed to decide what type of advanced training they wanted.

Davis chose bomber training. For Davis’ advanced training, he was put into an AT-10, a twin-engine trainer. When he finished that training, he was sent to Douglas Army Air Base in Arizona and then the fun really began – at the age of 23 ½, he was introduced to the B-25. “That plane was great,” he recalled. “She was sweet – solid, easy to fly and very stable. We had to learn all about her – using oxygen in high altitudes, bombardment techniques, machine guns and so forth. It was great but really tough. In our class, only 8 or 9 finished.”

Now a qualified B-25 pilot, he was sent to Godman Field, next to Fort Knox in Kentucky, where a black bombardment group was formed – the 616th Bomb Squadron. “I remember that field really well,” Davis said. “It had a very short runway which made it a challenge for the big bombers!”

With orders to prepare to fight the Japanese, in March 1945 his Squadron was sent to Freeman Field in Indiana and became part of the 477th Bombardment Group. While Freeman had a longer runway that could easily handle the B-25s, it was also the site of a major event that highlighted once again the segregationist policies of the U.S. Armed Services during WWII. Davis recalled, “There were two clubs set up. Club 1 was for blacks but it wasn’t referred to as an “Officers Club – it was for “trainees”. Club 2 was for white “instructors.” There were a couple of guys who were determined to be activists and recruited other blacks to join them in trying to be served at Club 2. It did not go well. Many were arrested and confined to quarters and my 616th Squadron was ultimately sent back to Godman, along with the 617th. We never flew in combat because Truman dropped the bombs in August and the war was over.”

Davis served up until the Korean War, when he left the military to spend more time with his family.

Did you know about Davis?

https://www.al.com/news/2024/03/tuskegee-university-gets-67-million-for-new-flight-school.html?utm_campaign=aldotcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR1qIwiirMe7QkZU4aR0nTQTf7uLlyj4Q8mrtmtprm2gAo_qjcG4M6omfSQ

Tuskegee University gets $6.7 million for new flight school program Tuskegee University will introduce a new flight school program in the fall, allowing students to train on the field used by the Tuskegee Airmen, thanks to $6.7 million in federal funding.

Daytona Bike Week 2024

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Tuskegee B-25 gunner

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DANIEL “CHAPPIE” JAMES

Daniel “Chappie” James was born on this date in 1920. He was an African American pilot and military commander.

From Pensacola, Florida, he learned to fly while attending the Tuskegee Institute and after graduation in 1942 continued civilian flight training until he received appointment as a Cadet in the Army Air Corps in January 1943. He was commissioned in July 1943 and throughout the remainder of World War II he trained pilots for the all-Black 99th Pursuit Squadron while working in other assignments. James was next stationed in Ohio and in the Philippines.

During the Korean War he flew 101 fighter missions. From 1953 to 1956 he was at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and there was promoted to the rank of Major. After graduating from the Air Command-Staff School in 1957, he was assigned to staff duty in Washington. From 1960 to 1967, he was stationed in England, Arizona and in Vietnam where from 1966-67 he flew 78 combat missions. By then a Colonel, James was Vice Commander of the 33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Elgin Air Force Base, Florida, in 1967-69. From there he was promoted to Brigadier General, was named base commander of Wheelus Air Force Base in Libya.

In March 1970 be became Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and advanced to Major General. In September 1974, with the rank of Lieutenant General, he became Vice Commander of the Military Airlift Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. In 1975, James became the first Black officer in the history of the United States military to attain 4-star full General rank. At that time he was named Commander of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), with accountability for all aspects of the air defense of the United States and Canada.

He was also much-sought after as a public speaker and devoted considerable time to addressing youth groups, particularly non-white students. Daniel James died shortly after his retirement from the Air Force of a heart attack in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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In recognition of Black History Month, we will highlight four African American servicemen who served their country during World War II.

General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. was born in 1912 in Washington, DC. He was a pilot, officer, and administrator who became the first African American general in the US Air Force. His father, Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., was the first African American to become a general in any branch of the US military.

General Davis studied at the University of Chicago before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1932. Upon his graduation, he was commissioned in the infantry, and in 1941, he was among the first group of African Americans admitted to the Army Air Corps and to pilot training. Upon his graduation, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and organized the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first entirely African American air unit, which flew tactical support missions in the Mediterranean theatre. In 1943, he organized and commanded the 332nd Fighter Group (the Tuskegee Airmen). By the war’s end, he had flown 60 combat missions and had been promoted to colonel.

His post-war career saw him helping to plan the desegregation of the USAF. General Davis retired in 1970 with the rank of lieutenant general. In 1998, he was awarded his fourth star. He died on July 4, 2002, at the age of 89.

To read more about General Davis’ life during and post-World War II, please click the link below.

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/benjamin-oliver-davis

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This P-51 Mustang belonging to Tuskegee pilot Lt. Robert, Daniels from Tennessee is a popular diving spot for divers. He was shot down over the coast of Marseilles, France in August 1944 and was captured by the Germans and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp. After the war he became a career Air Traffic Controller.

https://kvia.com/news/top-stories/2023/12/25/108-years-young-tuskegee-airman-celebrates-birthday-at-christmas/

108 years young, Tuskegee Airman celebrates birthday at Christmas - LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- Retired 1st Lieutenant James Clayton Flowers, a member of the 99th fighter squadron -- 332-nd fighter group turned 108 years old today. He has over a century of memories, both in and out of uniform, in the classroom and firsthand experience of many historical moments...

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Tuskegee Airman salutes during Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Camden, NJ Eugene Richardson, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, became a pre-aviation cadet in the Army Air Corps at age 17.

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This P-51 Mustang belonging to Tuskegee pilot Lt. Robert, Daniels from Tennessee is a popular diving spot for divers. He was shot down over the coast of Marseilles, France in August 1944 and was captured by the Germans and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp. After the war he became a career Air Traffic Controller.

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Tuskegee Airman Gene Derricotte #41 starred for the 1947 and 1948 National Champion Michigan Wolverines. He was the first Black player to play quarterback for the Wolverines. Here is a brief write up on Derricotte:

He arrived in Ann Arbor in the summer of 1944. Fortunately, for Derricotte and Michigan, freshman were eligible to play in 1944. Gene Derricotte became the first African-American to start in a Wolverine backfield that season.

He started nine games at left halfback and led the team in total offense with 618 yards on 105 plays. The speedy Derricotte averaged 5.9 yards every time he touched the ball.

Derricotte was drafted into the United States Army right after football season ended in December 1944. He spent his time training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and then in the Tuskegee Airmen pilot training program in Alabama. Gene graduated from his pilot training program, but was discharged in May 1946.

The talented Derricotte returned to Ann Arbor to resume his education and his football in the fall of 1946. Gene Derricotte started five games at left halfback that season and played a lot of good football on defense and special teams for the Wolverines.

He earned his second letter on a team that finished with 6 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. Unfortunately, the Wolverines went 5-1-1 in the conference and finished second for the third consecutive season. Another good season, just not good enough for Michigan!

Michigan had a glut of talent in 1947 which meant that Gene Derricotte was second on the depth chart at left halfback to a future All-American named Bob Chappuis. Gene did become the first African American to start a game at quarterback that season. He continued to excel on defense and really energized Michigan’s punt return team. Derricotte set the Michigan record for punt returns for touchdown (3) in one season. Amazingly, this record still stands alone in the Wolverine record book!

With Derricotte’s help, the Wolverines scored 394 points in 1947 and only allowed 53. This explains why Michigan finished the season with a perfect record of 10 wins, 0 losses and 0 ties. The Maize and Blue footballers also won the Big Nine Conference Championship, the Rose Bowl Championship and the National championship in 1947. The 1947 season was a great season by anyone’s standards and Gene Derricotte was a very important part of this great team.

Gene Derricotte returned for his final season in 1948. He was Bennie Oosterbaan’s starting left halfback, until an injury put him on the bench for most of the season. Gene did start one game, but did not finish his career like he wanted to. The good news was that he played on another undefeated National Championship team in 1948.

Gene Derricotte was fortunate to earn four varsity letters in four years of football at Michigan. The teams he played on posted a record of 33 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie which worked out to a winning percentage of just over eighty-eight percent (.881). Derricotte, and his teammates, won two straight conference titles (1947 & 1948) and finished second in 1944 and 1946. Of course, Michigan won back-to-back National Championships in 1947 and 1948.

Derricotte set numerous records for interceptions and punt returns during his career. His name is still all over the Michigan Football Record Book.

Gene Derricotte graduated from Michigan with a degree in Pharmacy in 1950. In 1958, he graduated from Michigan’s Dental School and returned to the Army. He served as a dentist until his retirement in 1985.

Bottom line – Gene Derricotte was a great Wolverine Football player as well as an American patriot who served his country during war and peace. He was inducted into Michigan’s Hall of Honor in 1987.

Today is a great day to appreciate this amazing “Michigan Man” for his contributions to Michigan football and our great country.

https://gobluefootballhistory.com/june-14-2018-happy-birthday-gene-derricotte/