Military Officer - March 2007 - (Page 95)

pagesofhistory Myth Debunked? Two historians say the Tuskegee Airmen’s long-accepted claim to fame is not quite accurate; their record nevertheless remains an impressive achievement. T he legendary Tuskegee Airmen have long been credited with never losing a bomber to enemy aircraft during World War II escort missions. Now two historians say several U.S. bombers were downed by German planes during some of the ﬂights with Tuskegee Airmen. William Holton, the national historian of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., which was formed to honor the ﬁghter pilots, and Daniel Haulman, of the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Ala., recently released documents they say support their ﬁndings. Holton says the claim that the black pilots did not lose any bombers was “not one that the Tuskegee Airmen made up, but one that probably originated in a letter of commendation.” Their losses still would be small compared to those incurred by white pilots who served as escorts, says Alan Gropman, who teaches at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. tion for World War II service and two additional battle stars for service in Korea. It was known as “the ship that wouldn’t die,” a title that is proving true once more. Volunteers from South Carolina Hampton Hotels worked to refurbish this piece of American history at the Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston Harbor, S.C. They contributed nearly 75 hours of manpower to clean, scrape, and sand the destroyer’s interior before applying gallons of fresh paint, enabling the ship to be turned into a museum showcasing World War II artifacts. T A Bright Future he USS Laffey destroyer bombarded Utah Beach at Normandy on D-Day and was racked by explosions and ﬁres at Iwo Jima. The ship earned ﬁve battle stars and a presidential unit citaTHIS MONTH IN HISTORY ■ On March 19, 2003, U.S. and coalition forces A Intrepid Under Way team of tugboats was able to yank the Intrepid free from mud trapping it in its berth on the West Side of Manhattan, where it has served as a military museum for 24 years. The ship refused to move on the ﬁrst attempt, but after three weeks of dredging by the Navy and some 25 minutes of pulling by the tugs, it came free. The 900-footlong World War II-era aircraft carrier was taken to Bayonne, N.J., to be refurbished. The ship will return to Pier 86 in the fall of 2008, with revamped exhibits and a collection of airplanes and helicopters arrayed on its ﬂight and hangar decks. MO MARCH 2007 The Tuskegee Airmen’s stellar performance in World War II escort missions gave birth to legend. launched a war against Iraq. At the height of the invasion, an estimated 235,000 U.S. servicemembers were deployed in the war; more than 130,000 were deployed to Iraq as of January 2007. PHOTO: COURTESY USAF MILITARY OFFICER 95

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Military Officer - March 2007

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