Tuskegee Airmen Display Ceremony To Be Held In Hamden

Press release from Town of Hamden:

HAMDEN, CT — The Town of Hamden and Hamden’s Veterans Commission invites residents to join Town Officials at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 2 for the Tuskegee Airmen Display Ceremony at the Veterans Display in the lobby of Hamden Government Center, 2750 Dixwell Avenue in Hamden.

This event will host a short discussion of the Tuskegee Airmen and their history by Veterans Commissioner Reginald Jackson and former Veterans Commissioner Tyrone Mitchell. A short video will be played before the ceremony begins.

THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN The African American Pilots of WWII

Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no African American had ever been a United States military pilot. The Jim Crow laws, a series of racist laws that enforced the “separate but equal” treatment of African Americans, were used as justification for blocking previous attempts by African American soldiers to become pilots.

African Americans served bravely and with distinction in every theater of World War II, while simultaneously struggling for their own civil rights from “the world’s greatest democracy.”

Although the United States Armed Forces were officially segregated until 1948, WWII laid the foundation for post-war integration of the military. In 1941, fewer than 4,000 African Americans were serving in the military and only 12 African Americans had become officers.

By 1945, more than 1.2 million African Americans would be serving in uniform on the Home Front, in Europe, and the Pacific (including thousands of African American women in the Women’s auxiliaries).

The Army Air Forces established several African American organizations, including fighter and bombardment groups and squadrons. Between 1941 and 1946, roughly 1,000 black pilots were trained at a segregated air base in Tuskegee, AL.

The Tuskegee Airmen flew hundreds of patrol and attack missions for the Twelfth Air Force, flying P-40 and P-39 airplanes, before they were reassigned to the 15th Air Force to escort B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers, using P-47 and P-51 airplanes.

The famous “Tuskegee Airmen” of the 332nd Fighter Group became part of the 15th Air Force, escorting American bombers as they flew over Italy. As escorts, flying P-47s and later P-51s, they were responsible for protecting larger bombers from German fighter planes. The Tuskegee Airmen flew more than 15,000 sorties between May 1943 and June 1945.

Bomber crews often requested to be escorted by these “Red Tails,” a nicknamed acquired from the painted tails of Tuskegee fighter planes, which were a distinctive deep red. Sixty-six Tuskegee Airmen died in combat. They had one of the lowest loss records of any escort fighter group.

C. Alfred “Chief” Anderson is one of the most famous of the pilots in the Tuskegee Airmen story. In 1929, Anderson had earned his pilot’s license, and went on to become the first African American to earn a commercial pilot’s certification in 1932. In March 1941, Anderson took First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt on a 30-minute flight in a biplane. The flight brought much-needed attention to the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen achieved a number of successes during World War II. The 332nd Fighter Group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for their actions on March 24, 1945. On their way to Berlin, Germany, the Red Tails destroyed three German ME-262’s.

In all, the Tuskegee Airmen earned eight Purple Hearts, 14 Bronze Stars, three Distinguished Unit Citations, and 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses. The National WWII Museum honors the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II

A Place of Honor for Military Memorabilia

The Town of Hamden offers veterans the opportunity to proudly & publicly showcase their military memorabilia in a secure display case in the lobby of Hamden Government Center at 2750 Dixwell Avenue.

Displaying military memorabilia can be a way to honor the men and women who have served their country. Military memorabilia can include any and all aspects of military life, including:

• Uniforms including rank insignia, buttons, lapel pins, etc., medals and ribbons
• Hats and helmets
• Equipment (compass, binoculars, canteen, etc.)
• Books and training manuals
• Photographs
• Flags

Documents such as:

• Identity badges and papers
• Certificates of completed training
• Maps
• Journals
• Charts
• Posters
• Letters and post cards
• Postage stamps
• Invitations and programs to official military functions

If you are interested in sharing your memorabilia with others, please contact Hamden’s Veterans Office at 203-672-2077 and leave a message with your name and phone number, or stop by during their office hours every Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Hamden's Veterans Office is located within the Recreation Department on the main floor of Hamden Government Center, 2750 Dixwell Avenue.

For more information, contact Deputy Chief of Staff, Alexa M. Panayotakis, at 203-287-7100 or by email at apanayotakis@hamden.com.

This press release was produced by Town of Hamden. The views expressed here are the author’s own.