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2  January 29, 2021  Aerotech News  Aerotech News                    January 29, 2021                                                                   3
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                 Academy names airfield in honor of first Black Air Force general




                                                   join the Army Air Corps but was re-
                                                   jected because segregationist policies
                                                   of the time designated the Air Corps
                                                   as whites-only. Instead, he graduated
                                                   in June 1936 with a commission as a
                                                   second lieutenant of infantry. His first
                                                   assignment was to the all-Black 24th
 by    than an equal. Correcting that injustice    Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning,
 TERRANCE BELL   was nearly equal to fighting — and   Georgia.
 perhaps dying — for his rights and                  In early 1941, the War Department
 U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee Public Affairs
 those of others at home. In that regard,          began training Black pilots at the
 Civil rights activist Medgar Wiley   he walked valiantly into the teeth of   Tuskegee Airfield  in Tuskegee, Ala-
 Evers was well-known for his high en-  battle, grappling with voting rights   bama. By then a captain, Davis was
 ergy, sobriety and tenacity. He would not   and championing integration, while   part of the first graduating class of
 spare a minute in pursuing equality —   supporting a long list of other issues in   five pilots.
 not when Black people in segregationist   a state where more than 600 lynchings   In July 1942, now a lieutenant
 Mississippi were being murdered, beaten   had occurred from 1877-1950, accord-  colonel, he took command of the 99th
 and degraded as human beings.  ing to the Equal Justice Initiative.  Pursuit Squadron — the Army Air
 Evers was on the literal front lines of   Defiant in the face of a terrifying   Forces’ first all-Black aviation unit.
 the battle, not some location up north   reality, Evers still went about his   courtesy photo  By the summer of 1943, the unit was           mike Kaplan
 where a declaration to fight for civil   business to rid Mississippi of its mis-  Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Jr.  in North Africa flying combat missions.  T-52A and T-41D Mescalero aircraft line up before takeoff at the U.S. Air
 rights in the 1940s-‘50s was relatively   deeds. He was one of the first Blacks   That fall, Davis was called back to   Force Academy airfield in Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 15, 2010.
 harmless. In the Deep South, poverty   appearing on TV in the state, exposing   Tuskegee to take command of a new
 had overshadowed the slaveholder cotton   himself to the many who saw no worth   by    unit, the 332nd Fighter Squadron,
 wealth generated in the mid-1800s. The   in his next breath, much less his work   CLAUDETTE ROULO  where he found out that the Army was
 Civil War remained a point of contention.   to change life as they knew it. Con-  DoD News  considering stopping Black pilots from
 Confederate loyalties ran deep, and a   versely, Evers did not expect anyone   flying in combat. He defended his men
 decision to join the struggle was an ac-  to hand him what he felt he was owed,   The U.S. Air Force Academy named   in a news conference at the Pentagon.
 ceptance of potential danger and maybe   and he knew his decision to fight came   its airfield in honor of Air Force Gen.   “All the Blacks in the segregated
 even death.  with consequences, said Myrlie Evers-  Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the service’s   forces operated like they had to prove
 Evidence of Mississippi’s subjugated   Williams, Medgar’s widow.  first Black general and the commander   they could fly an airplane when every-
 racial climate had been within Evers’   “We both knew he was going to die,”   of the Tuskegee Airmen in Africa and   one believed they were too stupid,” he
 sightlines since childhood. The Decatur,   she told Esquire magazine.  Europe.  wrote in his autobiography, “Benjamin
 Miss., native remembered walking miles   Evers expressed his resignation this   The project to name the previously   O. Davis Jr.: American.”
 to school with others of his ethnicity   way: “Freedom has never been free. ...   unnamed airfield was “an incredible   Army Chief of Staff Gen. George
 while white kids riding school buses   I love my children, and I love my wife   journey,” Air Force Academy Superin-  Marshall ordered an investigation,
 yelled epithets at them. He had seen the   with all my heart. And I would die, die   tendent Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria said at   and Davis spoke to the investigating
 horrific aftermath of a family acquain-  gladly, if that would make a better life   the naming ceremony.  committee, which found essentially
 tance being killed for a social infraction.  for them,” he said on June 7, 1963.  Davis was “instrumental in driving   no difference in performance between
 “I remember the Saturday night a   Five days later, the 37-year-old had   this institution towards a much more   Black and white units.
 bunch of white men beat him to death be-  returned home after a long meeting   diverse and a much more inclusive   By then, though, Davis was already
 cause he sassed back to a white woman,”   at a Jackson, Miss., church. As he left   population, reducing attrition rates of   back in the fight in the skies over Italy.
 read an Evers’ recounting of the incident   the car and began walking toward the   minorities, and crucial in developing   The men under his command flew more
 that appeared in the book “The Martyrs:   kitchen entrance, he was felled by a   the plan to integrate women at the   than 15,000 sorties, downed 112 enemy
 Sixteen Who Gave Their Lives for Racial   bullet from a high-powered rifle. It was   United  States Air  Force Academy,”   planes, and destroyed or damaged 273
 Justice,” written by Jack Mendelsohn.   courtesy photo  around 12:20 a.m.  Silveria said.  on the ground. His units lost just 66 of
 “They just left him for dead  on the   Medgar Wiley Evers (July 2, 1925 – June 12, 1963) was an African American   His murder fueled passage of the   The son of Army Gen. Benjamin O.   their planes and only about 25 of the
 ground. Everyone in town knew about it,   civil rights activist and World War II veteran.  Civil Rights Bill of 1964, the landmark   Davis Sr., the Army’s first Black gen-  bombers under their escort.  courtesy photo
 but never said a word in public. I went   federal legislation that provides for the   eral, Davis entered the U.S. Military   Davis led dozens of missions in P-47   The first five fighter pilots graduated
 down and saw his bloody clothes. They   rights of all people.  Academy at West Point, New York, in   Thunderbolts and P-51 Mustangs. He   from the Tuskegee program on March
 left those clothes on a fence for about a   the confidence that had been forged by   “They would ask him, ‘Mr. Evers, why   Evers’ work as a civil rights advo-  July 1932. Upon his graduation, the   received the Silver Star for a strafing   7, 1942. From left to right are: instruc-
 year. Every Negro in town was supposed   their individual and collective contribu-  are you doing this?’” recalled Watson,   cate is extensive. He investigated the   Army had two Black infantry officers   run into Austria and the Distinguished   tor R.M. Long, George Roberts, Ben-
 to get the message from those clothes.”  tions to the war.  who met Evers when she was a college   murder of 14-year old Emmett Till and   — Davis and his father.  Flying Cross for a bomber escort mis-  jamin O. Davis Jr., Charles DeBow,
 How that incident influenced Evers’   Evers, having supported the famed   freshman. “He would say, ‘Somebody   many other suspicious deaths. He led   He faced racism throughout his mili-  sion to Munich on June 9, 1944.  Mac Ross, and Lemuel Curtis.
 desire to fight for civil rights is uncertain.   Red Ball Express logistical effort in the   has to do it. It’s on my shoulders …   boycotts and rallies and tackled segre-  tary career. Davis’ obituary in the New   He would go on to serve in several
 Another conjecture is that it was pre-  European Theater, was transformed   You’ve got to speak up. These things   gationist issues one by one. He doubled   York Times noted: “He was ostracized   commands, in Europe and the United   Army Air Forces Col. Benjamin O.
 cipitated by his military service in World   by his time in uniform. The Army was   are not going to come easy.’”  the NAACP’s youth membership in a   at West Point and then was barred from   States, before the end of the war. In   Davis Jr., commander of the 332nd
 War II. Enlisting was an opportunity for   segregated, which certainly harkened   Despite the unfathomable degree of   few years. He helped James Meredith   commanding white troops and turned   1947, Davis transferred to the newly
 Black men and women to prove their   back to his life in Mississippi, but he   difficulty in making change in Ol’ Di-  become the first Black man to attend   away from segregated officers’ clubs in   Fighter Group, stands in front of his
 courage and competency, and therefore,   nevertheless saw his service as a down   xie, Evers was committed to fulfilling   the University of Mississippi, years   the war years.”  P-51D Mustang in Ramitelli, Italy, in
                                                                                                                       March 1945.
 their worthiness as Americans. When   payment toward full citizenship. He   his role. In 1946, he and his brother   after his own application was rejected.  While a cadet, Davis had sought to   See airfielD, Page 10  courtesy photo
 they went abroad, they were enlightened   felt he had earned the right to demand   Charles, who also served during the   And the list goes on.
 by the absence of Jim Crow, and Europe’s   change for better. He began to attach   war, led a group of African-American   Former Sgt. Medgar Wiley Evers is
 comparative acceptance garnered much   himself to civil rights causes not long   veterans to the Decatur City Hall to   buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
 thought, consideration and hope.  after returning home.  register to vote. When they showed up   The words of his widow at a 2003 cer-
 Furthermore, new job and organiza-  Minnie Watson, a retired tour guide   on Election Day to cast ballots, they   emony marking the 40th anniversary   Published by Aerotech News and Review, Inc. • 877- 247-9288 • www.aerotechnews.com
 tional skills — along with contributing to   at the Medgar Evers Home Museum   were turned back by a white mob.  of his assassination could not have   Aerotech News and Review prepares all editorial content for Desert   Information Service, Air Force News Service, Air Combat Command,   tents of Desert Lightning News and the Thunderbolt are not necessarily
 the Allied victory — had an encouraging   in Jackson, Miss., said people always   Evers marched on, perhaps driven   been more perfectly chosen. “The ‘Taps’   JOURNAL OF AEROSPACE, DEFENSE INDUSTRY AND VETERANS NEWS  Lightning News and the  Thunderbolt. The editor will edit or rewrite   Air Education and Training Command, staff writers and other sources.  the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department
 and emboldening effect on African-Amer-  questioned why Evers would commit   by the same sense of duty he felt in   played with a final salute,” she said. “It   submitted material for clarity, brevity or to conform to the Associated   All advertising is handled by Aerotech News and Review, 220 E. Ave.   of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of ad-
 ican military members. Many returned   to the daunting and dangerous task of   uniform. He had risked his life for a   felt as if we were truly being treated as   Publisher .............................................. Paul Kinison  Press Style Guide, local policy and Air Force style as required by Air   K4, Suite 7, Lancaster, CA 93535. For business advertising, call 877-247-  vertising in these publications, including inserts or supplements, does
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 to U.S. shores with swelled chests and   disrupting Southern convention.  country that was treating him less   Americans.”  Business manager  ...............................Lisa Kinison  the Thunderbolt can be emailed to the editor at amy@aerotechnews.  fied advertising, email classifieds@aerotechnews.com.  the DLN, Thunderbolt, DOD, Air Force or Aerotech News and Review.
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