In 1941, when Congress mandated that the Army Air Corps develop an all black combat unit, the contract was awarded to the Tuskegee Institute. The historically black university had already invested in the development of an airfield, had a proven civilian pilot training program and its graduates performed highest on flight aptitude exams.

At the time, there was no precedent for black military pilots. And in a time of “separate but equal� many Americans were skeptical that any black man could pass the rigorous tests and training required to become a top-notch pilot.

But soon, young black men who possessed the physical and mental qualifications for aviation cadet training came to Tuskegee, Alabama from every corner of the country, with large numbers from New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit. They trained in P40s, P39s, P47s and P51s, initially to be pilots, and later to be navigators and bombardiers.

The Tuskegee program officially began with formation of the 99th Fighter Squadron – an entire service arm that included ground crew as well as pilots. First deployed to the North African campaign, the 99th distinguished itself for outstanding tactical air support and aerial combat in the 12th Air Force in Italy.

To identify themselves, they painted the tails of their aircraft red, thus becoming known as the "Red Tails". The Red Tails soon became recognized for their tenacious bomber escort cover.

After being awarded with two Presidential Unit Citations, the 99th joined the all black 332nd Fighter Group, which received yet another Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, Germany. The 332nd destroyed three German ME-262 jet fighters and damaged five additional German jet fighters without losing any of the American bombers or any of its own fighter aircraft to enemy fighters.

Before long, white bomber pilots requested the “Red Tail Angels� as their fighter escorts, while the distinctive aircrafts doubtlessly discouraged enemy fighter pilots from attacking bombers escorted by the 332nd.

By the end of World War II, 450 graduates of the Tuskegee had been deployed to the war in Europe. They shot down 111 enemy aircraft and destroyed another 150 on the ground. They flew in more than fifteen thousand sorties and more than fifteen hundred missions. The Airmen’s success during World War II – not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions – is a record unmatched by any other fighter group. A combination of pre-war experience and the personal drive of those accepted for training resulted in some of the best pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Sixty-five of these great pilots gave their lives in combat and 32 were captured as prisoners of war.

From 1940-1946, Tuskegee graduated close to 1,000 airmen, with women entering the program in several support fields in later years.

After the war in Europe ended, large numbers of black airmen decided to remain in the service, but because of segregation their assignments were limited. Many white units were undermanned post-war and needed qualified people but were unable to get the experienced black personnel because of the military’s segregation policy. Additionally, while their success in combat was undeniable to those directly involved with the Tuskegee Airmen, the Red Tails faced racism and harassment from other military units.

The newly formed U.S. Air Force initiated plans to integrate its units as early as 1947. Then in 1948, President Harry Truman enacted an Executive Order that directed equality of treatment and opportunity in all of the United States Armed Forces. This order, in time, led to the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military. This was also the first step toward racial integration throughout the country.

The outstanding record of accomplishment and the superb behavior of black airmen during World War II, and after, were pivotal early factors in the historic social movement to achieve racial equality in America.

Today, African-Americans are well represented in the United States Armed Forces, from new recruits to four-star generals.