Honoring the Tuskegee Airmen experience

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.
  • 944th Fighter Wing
PHOENIX, Ariz. --  The Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., held a ceremony on Friday, November 11, Veterans Day, to honor over 15,000 men and women who were part of the Tuskegee experience.

During the formal ceremony, ARAC unveiled a red tail granite paver, honoring Tuskegee Airmen World War II heroes at the Wesley Bolin Plaza, near the Arizona State Capital building in downtown Phoenix.

“The unveiling of the granite paver marks a place of permanence to honor the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Bernard Bruce, 56th Fighter Wing occupational ground safety manager and chapter historian for ARAC.

The paver is at a site that honors other WWII veterans and is located between the gun barrels of the USS Arizona and the USS Missouri.

“The location was selected because the USS Arizona was sunk at Pearl Harbor December 1941 at the start of the war and the deck of the USS Missouri is the location where Japan surrendered to the allies in September 1945,” Bruce continued.

The key note speaker, David Toliver, past vice president of the chapter, explained the chapters two fold mission: To perpetuate the activities and achievements of those Americans who shared in the aspirations and frustrations of pioneering men and women in the Tuskegee experience. And to actively motivate minority youth to outstanding achievement and leadership in a democratic society. The chapter motto is, “Reaching our youth, ensuring our future.”

“Arizona is the first and only state to honor the Tuskegee Airmen experience in this way,” said Toliver.

About 100 people attended the ceremony including Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, 56th Fighter Wing commander, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Ashby, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Asa Herring, and Tech. Sgt. (Ret.) Rudolf Silas, three of the original Tuskegee Airmen.

Luke Air Force Base has strong ties with Tuskegee Airmen. In July of 1987, the 944th Fighter Wing, re-activated one of the original Tuskegee units when it stood up the 302nd Fighter Squadron and a few years later, in March of 2000, they re-activated the 301st Fighter Squadron. Both these units belonged to the famed 332nd Fighter Group during WWII. The units have since transitioned to the F-22 mission and are located at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico respectively. However, the 944 FW still embraces the proud tradition of the Tuskegee Airmen.