Existing comment:
Tuskegee aviation cadet Herbert O. Reid cover, April 14, 1942
The idea of an entirely African American squadron in the Army Air Corps seemed far-fetched at a time when there were only a handful of black pilots in the entire country. However, Tuskegee Institute had operated a federally-funded training program for black pilots since 1939, so when just such a squadron was authorized by the War Department it was based there. Lieutenant Colonel Noel F. Parrish, the unit's third white commander, was directly responsible for ensuring the Tuskegee Airmen's many successes.
Noel F. Parrish "somewhere in Alabama" cover, July 11, 1943 |