Tuskegee Airmen #1454

Caption from poster__     Tuskegee Airmen     In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in U.S. Military history over the past 300 years.  They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty.  Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. Military.  Civil Rights organizations and the Black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941.  They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. "Tuskegee Airmen" refers to all who were involved in the so-called "Tuskegee Experiment," the Army Air Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft.  The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, main- tenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes in the air.  The military selected T