Tylerite, Tuskegee Airman Capt. Sam Garrison Dead At 88

TylerPaper.com ^ | June 01, 2011 | DAYNA WORCHEL

[rw4site]

This is a printer friendly version of an article from www.tylerpaper.com

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Article published Jun 1, 2011

Posted 6:17 am
Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Tylerite, Tuskegee Airman Capt. Sam Garrison Dead At 88

By DAYNA WORCHEL
Staff Writer

Capt. Sam Garrison bore no bitterness about serving in segregated U.S. Armed Forces during World War II, his wife Willie Garrison said on Tuesday.

Garrison, an 88-year-old Tyler resident, was a Tuskegee Airman who died from a heart aneurysm on Thursday at the Hospice of East Texas, Mrs. Garrison said.

"He was not upset about the racism of the time -- he said that's just how things were then," Mrs. Garrison said by phone on Tuesday. "He always said 'I'm a soldier and I'm here to fight for my country, no matter what color I am.'"

She said her husband grew up in Baton Rouge, La. "He was used to it (racism) then," Mrs. Garrison said.

Garrison received training at Tuskegee Army Air Corps in Tuskegee, Ala., and served in the Air Force Unit 99th Pursuit Squadron -- the first all black Air Corp Fighter Squadron commanded by Major Benjamin Davis -- as well as the Air Force 332nd Fighter Group.

He entered the military in 1942 at age 19. Garrison served as a pilot in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, a region in Europe and in the South Pacific, where he flew a P-38.

Mrs. Garrison said her husband had a lot of love for people and for the military, and that he enjoyed talking about his military service, despite the segregation.

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated, determined young men who enlisted to become America's first black military airmen, at a time when there were many people who thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism, according to the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. website.

The website was created by the nonprofit organization of the same name. The organization states on its website that it is dedicated to honoring the accomplishments and perpetuating the history of blacks who participated in air crew, ground crew and operations support training in the Army Air Corps during World War II.

In February 2009, Garrison was honored at the North Tenneha Church of Christ in Tyler, where he was a member. He attended a special event where he was honored as a part of the church's Black Heritage Month program.

At that event, Garrison was asked what he remembered most about his time in the military. He recalled that in 1946, a ship he was on caught

fire as it headed from the Pacific to San Francisco.

"That was exciting," Garrison said in 2009, adding that he was prepared to jump in the water, but never had to do so.

He received various medals for his service, including two Silver Star Medals, a Philippine Liberation Medal and two Bronze Star Medals. Garrison said that after he returned home to the United States, he worked as an engineer and eventually moved to Tyler in 1994.

Garrison and his wife, who were married for 7 1/2 years, met while the two were shopping in the soup aisle at a Super 1 Food store in Tyler.

"He gave me his phone number and wanted me to call him, but I thought to myself that he was too old for me," Mrs. Garrison, 63, said, referring to the 25-year age difference between the two.

Her future husband came to her home shortly after that meeting in the store with a bouquet of red roses and the two dated for the next nine months.

"He finally said 'I'm not much on this dating stuff, so let's get married,'" Mrs. Garrison said with a laugh.

Garrison leaves behind a daughter, Lorran Garrison Tracy, who is 36, and lives in Los Angeles, and one grandchild.

Donzell Brown, who is an elder at the North Tenneha Church of Christ and attended Bible study with Garrison, remembered the former Tuskegee airman as a "distinctive gentleman who was kind and spoke well."

Brown said that when he first met Garrison, who was 80 at the time, that he looked much younger than his age.

"He was like an illumination, he gave me light and it was a blessing to have known him -- he was a great individual," Brown said on Tuesday.

For more information, visit www.tuskegeeairmen.org.

Staff Writer Kelly Gooch contributed to this story.

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[rw4site]

Wish I had known him.

R.I.P. Capt. Sam.

[OKSooner]

RIP, patriot.

[rw4site]

http://obituaries.tylerpaper.com/obituaries/tylerpaper/obituary.aspx?n=samuel-m-garrison&pid=151437358

[Red Badger]

Rest in Peace Airman............

[knarf]

[Niteranger68]

God Bless Capt. Sam Garrison! Fly to the heavens!

[ixtl]

Another of ‘The Greatest Generation’ has passed. I had two cousins (older than me) who were of that generation. They never saw themselves as heroes, just as men doing what they had to do.

It is also significant that “Captain Sam” and his fellow airmen were able to overlook the prejudices of their time and fight for a country that did not always treat them well. The same goes for the Japanese-Americans who overlooked their own hardships to fight for their country.

All these men, now so few in number, will be sorely missed. To my way of thinking, the best way to honor their heritage, is to honor our living veterans, and currently serving servicemen and women.

God bless you all.

[Broker]

Two Silver Stars, Two Bronze Stars.. God bless this modest heroic man with His eternal grace .

[jimfree]

Two Silver Stars, Two Bronze Stars.. God bless this modest heroic man with His eternal grace.

Thank you. This man was a real hero. He is indeed raised up on eagle's wings.

[no-to-illegals]

Rest in Peace, Capt. Sam Garrison, I know God will welcome you with a “Well Done” and a reuniting with fellow Heroes.

[jmacusa]

If you would like to know about Capt. Garrison and the Tuskegee Airmen you can go to :www.redtail.org and donate as I have.

[rw4site]

Bump for the west coast bunch.

[jmacusa]

You’re welcome.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[rw4site]

This story has proved to be a hoax. See new posting.