here for the first time, -- aviation cadets for being groom to fly of a unit which was then a unit and part onlyhe 99th

squadron. these men were pioneers of you stand here before me nowtill be forerunners in the movement, the fighting men. the sky was. this f-4 is representative of today's modern air lo come way, sophisticated weas systems, sophisticated people today, you or me or anybody who's qualified can fly this but it hasn't always been that way. some 35 years ago, a group of young men and women came together to help make the air force what it is.

today, you might even say they made a little history in the process. it all began the skies over tuskegee, alabama. i remember the tuskegee because they started what they call civilian pilot training program, five blackolles. they wanted qualified black people to start flying. the only reason i knew something about the program is because my mother teaching down in turkey and she heard about the starting up thiac corps the day after pearl harbor, the whole gangr

admission to the aviation cadet ni program. it wasn't until a year later, though, that admitted, but i think we had to wait for about approximately a ye a half before. we went into the program. i was in black leather school that up for the air force and me going into combat, it gave a lot of credibility to our to ant of the flying program. was chief anderson there are standing oneastorth west but what used to be tuskegee is army air corps. you here's where the cadetmeoutg field take the advanced traine. how's here? barely see some of the old er chimneys standing where the barracks used to be all behind

field. here was the headquarters. there's the original building that was built here in the beginning of therce training program. out here, oh my right is where the fliwaenhe planes ap all along that ramp with the very first type of aircraft up there. it went up. the pilots used to come out and fly the practice out here on this trip. e roll tail, drag race and sometime i got to see this but we didn't see them take al lead. they really got a big kick out of. really does bring back memories they both the fellows over here who flew over here came to the boatield, the pilot over there. i got acquainted with him and always looked forward toin him get their wings with most of them there. there was a greade but a number of blacks to get into

aviation and this is about the only place that they could come to and where they had an opportunity to learn something about fly. i myself applied for a flying training way back in 1935. i was 18 when i went into the progama pilot, i was just really a boy trying to make it. i think the one of the most exhilarating feelings was to me when i was able to get up theret airplane aak do what i wanted it to do. the interesting common though, that surrounded all of their backgrounds, that all of them that wanted to fly i think one of the principal things about, general davis, he instilled in usse discipline. and i started out young people back then, a black air force in world war

two performances, the absolute key in combat to protect the bombers, to prevent from gettot. the 99% squadron was an expert and dropping bombs and hitting targets hitting locomotives. it was awful actually put an aerial combat the 99 squadron did one thing at anzio that no other did it sat down 16 enemy airplanes. so theys that. my all right i think we had quite a bit of competi the

squadron trying to make ace and we hadewear when we get into space, we gathered some real good friends and a decorations. i retired yesterday. i feel one of my ambitions for the combat pilot. gone a the set was me and to fort worth came r. i turned right and put up a stone wall and t primary. then was bombing strategic targets like to you? we flew one mission there. it took us all the way up to the czechoslovak and polish border, 50. it was the longest mission i, i think a long 7rs, 25 minutes. but i think it's safe to say that the germans new garrison respected us. we were the only that didn't lose a bomber. as a historian, you only have the 32nd group. nevertheless.

this was my country i wanted a piece of it. i had to fight it. but i'll be -- if i'm going to let some other country come in and take it over. in the heat of a war flowing. going on?d to go and wt and was an adventure. kn sociological out there but these are the that we were learning to fight against and we felt that t needo therefore what we wanted to do our part i would have liked a ent arena in which to operate but since it wasn't there, i persisted, i don't think that i could have succeeded as dramatically in another career field during that period of time.

the man that came to morton field had a common cause. the common denominator, their intent and was to live down the adage that the black did not the capabilitiesfl perform in leadership roles. see a goal reach a which they all dreamed. we all remembered young chappie completed flight training at tuskegee institute alabama. we've come a long wa in the days of tuskegee, in addition to the already we trained under the additional pressures of segregation but we had no time for self-pity or der.we were too busy preparing ourselves for a career of

se nation, the state of our fully integrated air indication that we did a good job. that doesn't mean that the fu be a rose garden or that there will not be other obstacles to overcome freedom must be repurchased by new generation. when the tuskegee flying program offered to america's black youngsters, we were ready. we had prepared ourselves for this opportunity. when it presented itself, we grabbed it with both haneparyoun you're a tuskegee appears, you will b ready. they were just exceptional people, there's no doubt about that. they're exceptional people. i've seen the creme:.■dev■w

our distinguished g tevening ist prominent journalists working in field today. per