Reflective Paper: The Tuskegee Airmen

Newspaper Article written January 17, 1941

Melissa Luffman

Summer 2007

American History Teachers’ Collaborative

The specific World War II and the Holocaust topic I choose to analyze is the role of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. During the American History Teachers’ Collaborative (AHTC) summer conference, much information was presented about these pilots. We visited the Chanute Aerospace Museum, where a whole room is dedicated to exhibiting the Tuskegee Airmen’s role in WW II. The AHTC website lists specific sites to visit to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen. Books containing WW II photographs and stories including the Tuskegee Airmen were given to each of the seventy participants. A book called “Images of America: The Tuskegee Airmen”, written by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly, shares a brief historical background of these soldiers and many captioned pictures showing their role in the war. The CD of WW II Primary Documents provides a folder containing both photographs and newspaper articles related to the Tuskegee Airmen at the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL. After viewing many documents, photographs, and exhibits, I admired the pride and devotion of these soldiers to fight for a country that repeatedly mistreated and segregated them, and wanted to learn more about the Airmen both personally and to share with my students.

The specific document I chose to analyze is a newspaper article from the WW II CD of Primary Documents, printed January 17, 1941, titled “Chanute to Get Negro Squadron”. The author and the name of the newspaper is unknown, but the article did list Washington - Associated Press (AP). The article was written to inform Americans of the ways the government is using all its resources to win the war, even developing a Negro Pursuit Squadron.

The article discusses the formation and training of the Negro Pursuit Squadron at the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL. It lists the specific number of crew, pilots, and planes to be trained. It also notes that several months of training will occur at Chanute before the squadron is sent to Tuskegee.

This article was interesting to me because it had a tie to our community (I once lived on the former Chanute Air Force Base), and was objective and fact-based. It stated there were 400 ground crew, 33 pilots, and 27 planes that were trained at Chanute as part of this Pursuit Squadron. The purpose of the article was to explain the reason for starting this squadron: Allow Negro units in all branches of the military. The article also noted Undersecretary Robert P. Patterson of the War Department announced the squadron, the first of its kind in army history, and discussed the training plan at Chanute before going to Tuskegee. Many views of these Negro soldiers becoming pilots were negative. It was thought failure was inevitable. It was also believed that this particular squadron would show that Negro soldiers were not as brave or as efficient as other pilots were. The 99^th Pursuit Squadron was proven one of the most successful and efficient airmen units in WW II. I also thought it was interesting and wondered why the author did not show any encouragement or rally for the Negro troops in this article.

The information I learned about the Tuskegee Airmen during this conference will be shared most intensely with my students during African-American History Month. I received a poster from the Chanute Aerospace Museum of the planes the Airmen flew. I have a book of photographs and captions of these soldiers’ lives in the war. The photographs demonstrate the poor conditions and hard life these soldiers lead during the war. It also shows the pride and happiness they felt for performing a job they loved, and supporting the war efforts like other men. Learning about the Tuskegee Airmen will demonstrate many life lessons that students will be able to analyze, debate, and relate to their own lives and family.

A few lesson ideas include writing, reading and researching. I would have the students write a letter of support to a chosen Tuskegee Airmen, showing the encouragement and appreciation for their war service. The students would choose a photograph from the Homan and Reilly book and write their own caption. Another idea would be to choose an identified Tuskegee Airman, such as Ben Davis, and research his life after World War II. Students could compare and contrast the various WW II warplanes flown by different squadrons, including the 99^th, based out of Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL. These projects can be modified to meet the needs of all learners in the classroom.