Robins Air Force Base pays tribute to Tuskegee Airmen during Black History Month
Robins Air Force Base is honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first Black Military Aviators, as part of its celebration of Black History Month.
WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Robins Air Force Base is honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first Black Military Aviators, as part of its celebration of Black History Month.
The Tuskegee Army Airfield gave birth to the first and most legendary African American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces in 1941, during the height of segregation and the start of World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen flew the P-47 fighter aircraft and were recognized for their excellent combat record, coining the nickname “Redtails”.
“They were our trailblazers,” President of the Maj. Gen. Joseph A. McNeil chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Chapter Inc. Willie Jones said. “They proved to the world that African Americans could do more than just cook, clean up, and sometimes be a policeman.”
As part of Black History Month, Robins Air Force Base paid tribute to the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen with a commemoration on Thursday.
Jones, a veteran airman of the United States Air Force, says their story is an inspiration to serve with other African Americans in the Air Force.
“I don’t think I would’ve had that chance if it had not been for them,” he said. “It would’ve come some time, but I don’t think it would’ve come as quickly as it did because America had no reason to change. They made it possible, they told the story. We can do and we can change this world together.”
To learn more about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, you can visit the Tuskegee Airmen exhibit inside the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins.
