Posted on 02/24/2006 8:08:28 PM PST by Former Military Chick
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany — Lee Archer was once so frustrated with the way the military treated him and other blacks, he considered leaving the service.
In the midst of World War II and during his training at the famed Tuskegee Institute, he thought about going to Canada like his father suggested. But what another black aviator told him changed his mind and taught him a lifelong lesson on patriotism.
“He said, ‘Wait a minute, Lee. Settle down,’” Archer, a retired Army Air Corps lieutenant colonel, recalled.
“Then, he made this great speech. He said, ‘You have a right to grumble, to fight and argue and tell the government what you want and what you don’t want. But when the country’s in trouble, you hold her hand.
“‘And when the country is out of trouble, then you go back to bitching and raising hell.’”
The aviator he quoted was his flight instructor at the time, Daniel “Chappie” James, who would later become the Air Force’s first black four-star general.
Lee, now 85, never left the military or his country and would become America’s first black ace of World War II. He and two other black pilots, retired lieutenant colonels Bob Ashby and Asa Herring, shared their stories of war and discrimination during a forum at Spangdahlem Air Base on Friday.
German World War II pilots were scheduled to join the veterans, but the aviators could not attend the event at the last minute.
Ashby, Herring and Archer are among the original members of the historic Tuskegee Airmen, whom the Army Air Corps recruited to fly and maintain combat planes during World War II.
They trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama as part of an experiment by the military to see whether blacks had the fortitude and intelligence to fly such aircraft. But some of the airmen say the military actually had the goal of proving blacks weren’t capable of flying the planes.
The Tuskegee Airmen disproved any doubters, flying 15,000 missions and shooting down more than 400 enemy aircraft during the war. They never lost a bomber they escorted.
The pilots are often asked the question of why they would protect their country when it discriminated against them. Ashby said blacks have always felt obligated to defend the U.S. going back to the Revolutionary War.
“If you look around, you’ll see that blacks are well represented here at this time,” he said. “It’s our country. We will protect it.”
A few of the spectators expressed their appreciation to the aviators for what the pilots had accomplished and their sacrifice to their country. But a comment from a German in the crowd got the loudest ovation.
“Our country was in trouble,” said Klaus Rhodens, the mayor of Spangdahlem. “You came here to help us so that we have the chance to live in freedom today. I would like to say thank you for all you did for us.”
‘You have a right to grumble, to fight and argue and tell the government what you want and what you don’t want. But when the country’s in trouble, you hold her hand.
“‘And when the country is out of trouble, then you go back to bitching and raising hell.’”
Of course the Nazis would have treated them with great deference, had they won.
thanks for posting the red-tail
My dad hasn't cared for the Tuskegee Airmen ever since one of their squadrons accidentally bombed and strafed his unit in Italy. Fortunately they were well dug in and nobody was killed.
I have gotten to where I swear February is the longest month in the year.
Thanks for the post. Every American should be proud of the Tuskegee aviators service.
It is undeniable that the Tuskegee Airmen suffered discrimination during World War II but the situation has turned 180 degrees.
If you look at a current day high school American History book, chances are that you will see the Tuskegee Airmen and the Navajo Code Talkers glorified and everybody else not even mentioned.
The gentleman's reaction was ,"Man, how do I get a ride in one of those?"
Pure , unadulterated love. No other way to describe it.
Thank you for adding this wonderful photo to the thread. It really is an important part of our military history.
Again thank you.
P.S. He knew General James.
no problem, P-51's rule! :)
That was exceedingly common throughout World War II in all theaters and from all sorts of air units.
Good 'ol red tail :)
They are a source of pride for ALL Americans.
FWIW the TA never lost a bomber under their care. Doesn't help much if your are a grunt and they are "after" you!
Most welcome. I always find something of interest in our Stars and Stripes.
These men are definitely models for emulation, and a source of inspiration for Americans today.
Patriot bump.
I have a soft spot for the F4U Corsair, myself. Something sweet about that airframe.
Here is a Tuskegee P-51D model, the first one posted was a B
I like the P-51 and the P-38
Fine aircraft all around. With names like Mustang and Lightning, how can you go wrong? ;-)
Another group of men we can never thank enough. Remember this; They never lost a bomber they escorted. I pray for the day when all of us refer to each other and ourselves as AMERICANS.
He was with the 34th Division, 109th engineer battalion, and it was somewhere north of Piacenza. It was the day after he transferred from his old unit to the 109th.
Anyone here actually flown a P51? Would love to hear some stories. That beast looks like a ton of fun to fly.
. . . that's why Mark Clark never could set foot in Texas . . .
I wish!
My daughter did a report on George Washington Carver for Alabama History. We spent alot of time on the Tuskegee Univ. website and I loved reading about Carver and these men. We are hoping to take a tour one day on the campus to see the museums. Thanks for the post
. . . the media is just playing up the heck out of every little miscue in the current war. Makes me mad because I know it just can't be helped - you just try to keep it to a minimum if you can - but apparently most folks think history began on their birthdays . . .
I met one of these Airmen at my hometown public library about 10 years ago. He is from the town across the river from me, Donora, PA. The local newspaper had done a feature story on him and we got to talking. He had some great stories to tell. He was an Ace. It was a real pleasure talking to him and he was a gentleman.
. . . Murphy's Law is in full force during all combat operations . . . no exceptions . . .
The "Redball Express" was another outfit that black Americans excelled in. Kept Patton's tanks moving and kept the supplies coming.
There is an old saying...Friendly fire isn't.
And, There is no such thing as friendly fire.
God I wish men like this were elevated to the status they deserve in the eyes of inner city kids today. All the pop culture crap and poison that gets sold to kids these days. Here are people that made a difference. Those Mustangs are freedom you can touch and see. And these Americans, these black aviators made it happen.
Must see heritage flight video........
http://homepage.mac.com/lightningrodpictures/iMovieTheater9.html
Keep em flying!
“‘And when the country is out of trouble, then you go back to bitching and raising hell.’”
Attention: Lefties and MSM!
My Dad flew the P51-D in the Royal Air Force, and it was indeed a ton of fun to fly, according to him.
He was in 19 Squadron, based in Peterhead, Scotland, in 1944-45. They flew escort for Beaufighters and Mosquitos attacking shipping along the coast of occupied Norway. To get under the radar, they had to fly at only a few feet above sea level. He said the spray from the waves would sometimes form ice on his wings and canopy. They all knew that an engine failure over the North Sea in winter time meant certain death, and that no one would bother looking for them if they should happen to ditch.
He was wingman for the CO of the squadron on one occasion, when the two of them took on a dozen Bf109s from the famous Ace of Spades squadron. The skipper shot down two and the rest fled. He got a DFC. I always thought my old man deserved the DFC since he didn't have anybody watching his six like he was doing for his CO. At least I have a couple of old newspaper articles about the event to pass on to my descendants. Dad always deprecates his role, saying that by the end of the war the Nazis were sending up half-blind old men and teenage boys, so it wasn't anything like a fair fight.
The other story I like was about another raid on Norway when they were flying up a fjord in the dawn twilight. My dad was startled to see blinking lights high above them on the slopes of the fjord, and broke radio silence to comment on the "pretty lights". He was even more surprised when the CO instantly ordered evasive maneuvering. It turns out they were AA guns shooting down at them. After that, he was known in the squadron as "Pretty Lights" May.
Dad also flew the Spitfire and Hurricane, but not in combat. According to him they were very nimble and fun to fly, but more squirrelly and with poor range. Good for the interceptor role but not much else. The P-51 was a much better gun platform and all-round fighter.
The narrow landing gear of the Spitfire made it a bitch to handle on the ground. Dad ground-looped a Spitfire once while landing in front of Winston Churchill, who had come for a review of his wing. He still has a "rocket", or reprimand written in his log book in red ink, placed there on personal orders of Churchill himself. He insists it wasn't his fault, as they were landing in echelons of four aircraft, and the guy in front of him drifted over and ran him off the runway.
The old man is in his eighties now and still quite with it. My son enjoys asking him about his wartime experiences, and it seems he is a lot more talkative about it now than he ever was with me. The years have dulled the pain from seeing his friends shot down before his eyes, I think, and perhaps he senses that his days are numbered. I don't know what I will do when he is gone. Boy, will I miss him.
-ccm
Wow! Those are awesome stories! Thanks!
Can you scan the articles and post them here? Would love to read them. I'm sure others would too.
Give my best and thanks to old "Pretty Lights"!
Best regards to "Pretty Lights". Tell him "hi" from the daughter of a combat engineer in the US Army . . . he was farther south, in Italy, but same war!
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