with the end of the war in august of 1945 thousands of soldiers could finally come home
there was an air of excitement for the black airmen of tuskegee and other soldiers of color
a hopeful moment that they'd finally be treated with the respect they deserved and earned i think
for a lot of black people certainly before the 1960s there was this idea that if you went to
war you put your life on the line you could prove to american society that you were worthy
right after black soldiers started coming back from the war in 1944
they came back acting free i think a lot of people were hopeful that after the war
particularly a war when you know you're liberating uh jews from nazi germany
people feel like after the war when we go back things will be different and you know
we won't have to deal with what we have to deal with before and so this is a proving ground
unfortunately racial discrimination persisted in much of america most every aspect of public life
was segregated from the military to education transportation and housing america was still
a divided society coming home from overseas and coming down the gang planking field black this way
whites this way for some of the young soldiers continuing to serve in a segregated military
was unacceptable franklin macon who was in his early 20s at the time decided he'd had enough
i didn't stay in the military because of the segregated service i could not see where i can
make any rain as an officer listen or what i felt that the bases that they would send me to
would all be in the south and i just didn't want to be bothered and i didn't have to
those who stayed in the service faced continued discrimination just prior to the war's end at
the freeman field airfield in indiana a group of tuskegee trained pilots decided to push back
against their mistreatment there's the example of the freeman field mutiny
where the the bomber crew that was associated with tuskegee they'd gone through training at tuskegee
and then we're based at freeman field the officers in the 477th bombardment group were denied entry
to the officers club base commander there was an overt racist and he would not let the black
officers into the officers and so over a hundred of these people decided that that they could not
put up with that kind of segregation that there was no way to compromise with that that as men
they had to be able to do this because they were as good as anyone else who was using the officers
club and if you're arrested for disobeying orders and wartime you know the ultimate penalty is death
but you're subject to some pretty intense penalties fed up african-american officers
organized a protest resulting in the arrest of more than 100 black soldiers
there was some pushing and shoving that went on and when it eventually got sorted through by
outside inspectors coming in it was found that they were fully entitled to the privileges that
they were expecting that the base commander did not handle the incident very well he was relieved
colonel davis took over command at that time and the 4th 77th continued its training this event
and others drew attention to the issue of discrimination in the military
and by 1948 president truman integrated the armed services with executive order 9981
there was as much fighting going on that's the reason that president truman
integrated the armed forces that a house divided against itself could not stand
they made the decision to bring about a change and that's why i'd say the
air force really led our country in integration and equal opportunity
by july of 1949 the tuskegee program had ended and its all black squadrons have been deactivated
still for the airmen of tuskegee the fight for racial justice and equal rights would continue
my father served in both the korean and vietnam wars and retired after 32 years as a full colonel
in the air force earning 18 service medals and awards benjamin davis one of the original
members of the 99th fighter squadron would go on to become the first ever black brigadier general
in the air force and would rise to the rank of four stars coleman young a member of tuskegee's
477th bomber group and a part of the freeman club mutiny was elected detroit's first black mayor
and charles mcgee would go on to have an exemplary career in the air force flying 409 missions in
three wars still a record today segregation didn't change but a lot of opportunity doors opened up
and all were glad to be a part of what was taking place in september 2020 almost 80 years
after tuskegee opens its doors to train the very first black pilots lieutenant general richard
m clark becomes superintendent of the u.s air force academy since uh the the tuskegee airmen
changed our force we we've had gradual change and it has taken time we are becoming an air
force more and more where it doesn't matter what your your skin color is what your ethnicity your
religion your gender you can achieve your dreams you can achieve the highest levels of success here
in our air force and i'm honored to be here as leader of the air force academy and i'm
i'm i am the first yes but i'm certain that i won't be the last and uh it's an honor the
history is not lost on me but but now i have to perform doesn't matter what color i am doesn't
matter where i'm coming from i owe something to my school i owe something to every cadet out there
so again when you talk about tuskegee airmen when you think about the barriers that they faced as
the first african-american aviators of the united states armed forces during segregation right this
is during world war ii um at a time where again society it wasn't just an individual but society
were deeming these folks based upon the color of their skin as incompetent inept and inferior
what they were able to display both in and outside of the military was black excellence
some 60 years after they fought so hard to fight for their country the achievements and influence
of the tuskegee airmen are widely recognized at last they paved the way for people my generation
to run for public office and to carry the torch for what they were able to do decades ago and i
continue to to pay homage to to tuskegee airmen through things like the ceremonial resolution
that we pass recognizing their contributions to the united states today i am incredibly honored
to present the tuskegee airman commemoration day ceremonial revolution of 2019. for decades to come
people should understand what those contributions meant the fact that tuskegee airmen faced the
types of discrimination at home segregation in the armed forces and yet were able to accomplish
what they did really means a lot uh even today for somebody like me and i think that history
should continue to recognize them that people who visit the nation's capital should understand that
every fourth thursday of march is commemorated as tuskegee airmen day in the nation's capital
you