Flight celebrates Tuskegee Airmen

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Amber Carter
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

National African American History Month, which took place in February, is an annual celebration of achievements by African-Americans in the United States.

A famous group of African-Americans in U.S. Air Force history is the Tuskegee Airmen. This group is remembered for being the first African-American service members to serve as military aviators in the U.S. armed forces.

Flying with distinction during World War II, the 996 pilots and more than 15,000 ground personnel are credited with approximately 15,500 combat sorties and earned more than 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses for their achievements, according to History.com.

"It is important to remember the Tuskegee Airmen because it's important to remember what makes us great as an Air Force: Diversity," said Capt. Earle Dante, 21st Airlift Squadron instructor pilot. "Our competitive advantage is based on our collective willingness to look past the basic biases of gender, race and sexual orientation, focusing instead on what an individual offers in service to their nation. It's a legacy of inclusion that we are flying to honor."

In remembrance of the Tuskegee Airmen, the 21st AS at Travis Air Force Base, California, organized an all-African-American crew to fly a training mission March 2 aboard a C-17 Galaxy.

"The ultimate goal of the flight is to represent all of the modern day Tuskegee Airmen while honoring the original Tuskegee Airmen who paved the way," said Capt. Saj El-Amin, 21st AS pilot and event organizer. "To stand on the shoulders and honor the legacy of such great Airmen is a humbling opportunity."

The crew of six Airmen, three pilots and three loadmasters, used the nighttime flight to train with night-vision goggles, perform assault landings, combat offloads and an air refueling by a Travis KC-10 Extender.

"Our goal is to be a living representation of the aerial excellence exemplified by the Tuskegee Airmen," said Capt. Broderick Lockett, 21st AS aircraft commander and graduate of Tuskegee University. "It still lives on in us today."