Submitted by can1exy t3_ycc9ds in OldSchoolCool
Comments
mullemeck775 t1_itlc8xf wrote
Rael mn
hollowyaounde848 t1_itld4az wrote
1578 combat missions, 112 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground and 148 damaged.
Not one of them allowed into the Officers Club, because they were black.
BuSsYBoI-sTaYpOpPiN t1_itleh46 wrote
Hope these guys were treated like human beings if/when they came home.
Ghost_Redditor_ t1_itlf5qy wrote
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN ARE LIVING IN THR MOMENT
shinobi500 t1_itlgh6f wrote
Badasses fighting two wars simultaneously. One in the skies over Europe and one at home. Salute.
imanAholebutimfunny t1_itljvb0 wrote
i still remember vividly the song he was singing as he was shot down going into the ground. May have to watch it again.
slater_just_slater t1_itlng2k wrote
Better than many, but they were still black men in the 40s and subject to Jim Crow laws, red lining and all the other institutionalized racism that Black Americans faced
Tha_Watcher t1_itluv9i wrote
The one in the middle looks like Michael Jordan.
MrMetalhead3029483 t1_itlzi3h wrote
If this doesn’t speak badass then I don’t know what does. Some of the bravest pilots ever to fight In WW2, and some of the boldest as well
BSB8728 t1_itm1fi1 wrote
*Twenty years* after the Tuskegee airmen came home, Colin Powell did *two* tours of duty in Vietnam. When he returned to the States and tried to order a hamburger at a restaurant in the South, he was advised to go to the take-out window around back.
appliedecology t1_itm2ac0 wrote
After the war, six Tuskegee airmen lived in my small historically segregated neighborhood. Not one of them was allowed to eat or stay at the downtown hotels for another 20 years. Those dudes changed military and social history.
elmaki2014 t1_itm2ohg wrote
way to pay those brave men back for their 'service'...
Dogrug t1_itm6a55 wrote
My father in law was a B17 pilot. He loved these guys, and they saved his ass on more than one occasion. He was not progressive but he had a great deal of respect for these men.
In the movie Red Tails they portray a young white officer standing up for them to come into a bar or something (don’t remember exactly), that moment is real, that officer was my father in law. Pretty proud of him.
Edit: corrected plane type
Ok_Pressure1131 t1_itm7xdi wrote
These dudes were badass!
Just think how much better America would have been had we embraced our differences rather than segregate.
HawkeyeTen t1_itmjxdg wrote
I think that was true to an extent with non-white folks in the British Army too, at least some of them. I've heard Indian officers were not allowed in the Club. It sounds like racial/ethnic prejudice was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic, even if it was significantly different.
HawkeyeTen t1_itmkorr wrote
What makes the southern states look even more pathetic is when you read about how some states like Iowa had enforced integration for decades by the 60s (all public accommodations HAD to serve them). The South had no excuses for their treatment of others.
v13 t1_itmny9d wrote
That is so cool to know! I'm glad he did that!
Lookalikemike t1_itmpjkq wrote
Dove sono le donne bianche?
Debbiesatramp t1_itmqaji wrote
Handsome!
CherWhorowitz1227 t1_itmud9i wrote
Some good looking men! Learning about the Tuskegee Airmen was my favorite history lesson in my high school history class ❤️
QueenYasLyfe t1_itmweuv wrote
American heroes 🇺🇸
ActualWheel6703 t1_itmwjh6 wrote
I had a chance to meet Col. Jefferson once. An amazing man!
Prestigious-Ear-7310 t1_itmx7f8 wrote
Some smooth mfs ngl
oldfartbart t1_itmybwk wrote
Chemical_Industry_48 t1_itn0nkj wrote
They made a movie called Red Tails about them
BSB8728 t1_itn0x3y wrote
My dad was a WWII veteran, and I remember he was furious in the '70s when there was a news story about a VFW post (I can't remember where it was located) that turned away a Black veteran, telling him there were posts for people "on his side of town" -- or words to that effect. Dad wanted that post shut down.
Ellisoner t1_itn151q wrote
The baffling thing is this in comparison to the treatment of black soldiers on the British Home Islands. Brits on the home island for example, at the battle of Bamber Bridge, fought white Americans in defence of black Americans being allowed into pubs and public spaces with everyone else, yet in India this attitude was not carried over at all.
MerlinsBeard t1_itn1tzf wrote
They have done a movie about these guys. The 1995 The Tuskegee Airmen movie as well as Red Tails. Red Tails is ... not a great movie but The Tuskegee Airmen movie is good.
Additionally, there is a movie coming up called Devotion about Ensign Jesse Brown who was a USN fighter pilot that died in Korea.
Ok_Exam3557 t1_itn1wg2 wrote
Should have never fought for the whites
edWORD27 t1_itn27k9 wrote
After the war, I heard Jefferson moved on up to the east side. Deluxe apartment in the sky.
tillie4meee t1_itn2zff wrote
I read about these intensely brave and focused men. For them to have been treated as badly as they were once they came home was/is a travesty.
America was fortunate to have had these and of course - all other military folks fighting for us. They should have been honored and invited into any Officer's club with gratitude.
novdelta307 t1_itn3x42 wrote
About to drop bombs and the hottest album of the year
Jimbo_Jones_4_Mayor t1_itn5uui wrote
Lucky dogs
Sahasrlyeh t1_itn86n0 wrote
Buncha badasses
Putrid-Home404 t1_itn9mj8 wrote
This is a great picture. These men should have received the highest honors possible. Racism is an ugly thing.
Crispynipps t1_itnb1rw wrote
My ex wife’s grandad was a Tuskegee airman. I think he just turned 97. It’s insane. Talking to him is wild
Dogrug t1_itnbcsz wrote
Oops, my plane numbers aren’t so good. Corrected.
BlueEyeSky t1_itnchl5 wrote
Do we know their names?
procrastablasta t1_itncj17 wrote
still rocking the pencil stache?
Butt_Slammers_22 t1_itnd8ee wrote
This sub should be renamed old school pandering.
lotusflower64 t1_itndgro wrote
OMG, thanks so much for sharing. Beautiful.
lotusflower64 t1_itndwf0 wrote
Some men were lynched in their uniform in the US, medals and insignia removed.
illestprodigy t1_itndxtb wrote
Saw Red Tails about 2 months ago with my SO. Shit was a fucking blast.
Crispynipps t1_itnedtz wrote
He’s got a little more than that. Only shaves I think every other week.
GrabbingPLikeDonT t1_itnf964 wrote
So glad these badasses were on our side.
Radiant-Reporter8624 t1_itng08e wrote
Nah they gave them syphilis and left it untreated their entire lives just to see what happens
Impressive-Shame4516 t1_itng2iw wrote
Treatment of minority veterans after WW2 was a massive catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.
Radiant-Reporter8624 t1_itng7us wrote
Wasn’t Red Tails the movie George Lucas described as being the first “all black film”?
Lexicontinuum t1_itng8tc wrote
Hell, Cleveland Ohio had a black mayor in 1968 while the southern states were still tripping over the mere suggestion that people with African ancestors were, y'know, human.
Pathetic. And as you say, no excuse.
Edit: just looked up the year. Nineteen freakin sixty-eight!
Edit 2: Apparently he took office precisely 100 years after the United States finally granted black men full citizenship. Wow.
XueShiLong t1_itng9ex wrote
Genuine badasses - they had the lowest loss records of all the escort fighter groups. BADASSES.
brighterside t1_itngov2 wrote
I mean spoilers, but ok.
[deleted] t1_itnhhls wrote
Abject-Rip-2739 t1_itnhjuc wrote
this is so nostalgia to see!! Ireally love old photos!
tombeaux1950 t1_itnhovq wrote
My late uncle flew bombers out of Italy in WWII and got tears in his eyes when the subject of these guys came up. He said he and his crews’ confidence went way up when they had these guys as escorts.
LeftRGruhmors t1_itnhqkv wrote
Remember when the US government gave them all syphillis as an experiment and lied to them about the treatment they were getting?
The CDC and US government don’t do that stuff anymore though. No longer corrupt it’s all clean.
C0MMI3_C0MRAD3 t1_itniilv wrote
It still can be better
lotusflower64 t1_itnj8em wrote
Two different situations lol.
Noir_Amnesiac t1_itnjnm8 wrote
I really wish they would make a Band of Brothers style show on these guys. Also want one about the Japanese units.
WeedEmAndReap t1_itnjymq wrote
Well it is almost 30 years old. I think the spoiler embargo has long exceeded its term limits.
[deleted] t1_itnktkf wrote
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50FirstCakes t1_itnpgzh wrote
Heroes. I see six brave American heroes in this photo. And I hope their story will continue to be shared for many generations to come.
LC_001 t1_itnrfur wrote
America had an interesting view of its Negro population. They were expected to bear all the responsibilities of citizenship with none of the privileges.
As a proportion of their respective populations blacks had a greater proportion drafted into the armed forces in WW1 and WW2 than the white population.
George C. Marshall had such a low opinion of black troops that he said they were only fit for duty on Iceland in the summer.
Jobbers101 t1_itnwgmv wrote
Interesting?
Jobbers101 t1_itnwmlv wrote
I did Nazi this post coming.
Duke_Cedar t1_itnxvlg wrote
Where is Piper Perri?
31_hierophanto t1_ito004y wrote
>In the movie Red Tails they portray a young white officer standing up for them to come into a bar or something (don’t remember exactly), that moment is real, that officer was my father in law. Pretty proud of him.
Whoa, can't believe that actually happened. I thought that was Hollywood writing yet another "white savior" scene.
31_hierophanto t1_ito0i7d wrote
And some of them would later become a major part of the civil rights movement.
31_hierophanto t1_ito0qg1 wrote
I guess OP wanted to use a euphemism.
shinobi500 t1_ito9arq wrote
Did any Tuskegee airmen serve in the Pacific theater?
Interesting_Act1286 t1_itoel8z wrote
It is a really good movie with a solid cast. The real airmen were some of the best pilots out there.
[deleted] t1_itoh74u wrote
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MisterJawsh t1_itohndq wrote
Nope, they did not. The syphillis study started ten years before the war, and was not at all related. Really sad that any time Tuskegee Airmen get brought up, someone tries to connect the two things.
Radiant-Reporter8624 t1_itokb4h wrote
Why is it sad?
jangma t1_itomrsy wrote
Unfortunately the "it's different when they do it" attitude is something we see time and time again across nations/ethnicities/religions.
[deleted] t1_itonli2 wrote
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RefrigeratorFeisty91 t1_itop11v wrote
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN!
RefrigeratorFeisty91 t1_itop3g7 wrote
THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN!
Cat_Sand_Milkshake t1_itp5yje wrote
Baby I’m not from Havana!
NineSixteen_Fanatic t1_itp9sp7 wrote
He probably means the Japanese-American units that served in Italy.
Ardentgoggles t1_itlawgt wrote
One of my favorite movies growing up was actually a HBO film called The Tuskegee Airmen.I am talking Laurence Fishburne.I'm talking Cuba Gooding Jr.And so many other amazing actors.It utilizes actual gun cam footage for some of it's scenes that lend it a distinct style and also help hammer home that this is real.
It's not without it's faults but it's well worth checking out.Over the years my Dad and I have sat down to watch it many times and it still hits hard.