Prairie Middle School Welcome the Tuskegee Airmen

In celebration of Black History Month, Prairie Middle School was proud to welcome some African-American heroes from World War II—the Tuskegee Airmen.

The recent George Lucas film entitled Red Tails told the story of these WWII fighter pilots who disproved the theories that “negro” pilots were substandard to their white counterparts.

Lieutenant Colonel James Harvey, of the 332nd Fighter Group, regaled Prairie students with his experience as one of the Tuskegee Airmen.  The American military was segregated at this time, and black pilots were given separate missions away from combat.  Since pilots were ranked based on the number of planes they shot down, the Tuskegee Airmen were unfairly scored lower.  That is, until Colonel Davis (played by Terrance Howard in the movie) brought this to the attention of officials in Washington.

When the 332nd was given the chance to escort bombers in their distinctively painted red-tailed P-51’s, they did so with marked success.  This helped to dispel beliefs that “negroes were childlike, irresponsible, careless, and emotionally unstable,” according to a study in 1936.

Completing flight school was more difficult for African-American pilots, because the government wanted to ensure that only a small percentage of them graduated.  Lt. Col. Harvey never saw this as a deterrent.  He told Prairie students that he was a perfectionist and always tried to be “Number #1.”

In January of 1949, Harvey participated in intermural weapons training.  The various military fighter groups competed in aerial gunnery and dive-bombing contests.  Had the rules not been altered that day, the 332nd would have taken home the 1st place trophy instead of the 2nd.  

The celebratory banquet that followed only allowed the Red Tails to pose by their trophy for a photo before they were asked to leave.  Sadly, this trophy went missing for 55 years, only to be uncovered in a storage closet at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base.  The trophy is now on full display in the museum and historical almanacs have been corrected to recognize these heroes for their outstanding accomplishment at this competition.

When asked what qualities helped him achieve success in his life, Harvey told the students to be punctual and always try to do their best.  His is a story of triumph through tribulation, and it was an incredible honor to have this neighborhood hero visit the O-Zone.