USO Canteen Freeper Style Salutes Tuskegee Airmen .... October 22,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

.

.

The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

.

.

A Touch of Home

.

This is how I think of the USO Canteen 
Freeper Style. It is like a cottage down a road,
a place where a weary veteran can spend the night. 

Since it opened, it is magical how so many
Freepers who post here, feel it too. 
It has been so dear how the Freepers
kept making it a cottage - a home-type of 
place that had a huge living room
for them to visit in and a dance floor, 
a library, etc. 

Many Veterans have written to me, 
saying that the Canteen is like home
to them for the first time since they 
served. 

This is your Canteen -
a respite from our busy 
and sometimes troubling world. 
Make yourself at home.

Snow Bunny

.

.

.

If you know a Veteran, someone in your family, 
friend of the family, neighbor, who served their  
country, take a brief moment of your day to thank 
them. 

Thank them for the sacrifice they made
for the better good of their country.

We at Free Republic, and the USO Canteen FReeper 
Style, are thankful for every service member 
in our military, who has served our great nation.

So, to the men and women who answered the call,
In both times of war and peace, thank you.

.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields. 

John McCrae 

During WWII there were many men that were forgotten.
The Tuskegee Airmen made a major contribution. Where
did they come from?

After their superb flight training, there were a select few
that made a major impact in the war through their excellent
piloting skills. These men are known today as the Tuskegee Airmen.

On Jul. 19, 1941, the AAF began a program in Alabama
to train black Americans as military pilots. Primary flight
training was conducted by the Division of Aeronautics of
Tuskegee Institute, the famed school of learning founded by
Booker T. Washington in 1881.

Once a cadet completed primary training at Tuskegee's
Moton Field, he was sent to nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field
for completion of flight training and for transition to combat
type aircraft.

The first classes of Tuskegee airmen were
trained to be fighter pilots for the famous 99th
Fighter Squadron, slated for combat duty in North
Africa. Additional pilots were assigned to the 322d
Fighter Group which flew combat along with the
99th Squadron from bases in Italy.

In Sep. 1943, a twin-engine training program was
begun at Tuskegee to provide bomber pilots. However,
World War II ended before these men were able to
get into combat.

By the end of the war, 992 men had graduated
from pilot training at Tuskegee, 450 of whom were
sent overseas for combat assignment. During the
same period, approximately 150 lost their lives
while in training or on combat flights.

Additional men were trained at Tuskegee for
aircrew and ground crew duties--flight engineers,
gunners, mechanics, armoires, etc. Others were
sent to Texas and New Mexico for training as
navigators and bombardiers.

Marching across the campus at Tuskegee Institute.

Lined up for inspection.

Student pilot being congratulated
upon completion of primary
flying course at Moton Field.

A class of twin-engine pilots
in front in flight caps and single
engine pilots in rear in helmets
and goggles, Dec. 1943.

The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum
is located on historic Fort Wayne in Detroit,Michigan.

Who Were the
Tuskegee Airmen
of World War II?

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated,
determined young men who volunteered
to become America's first black military
airmen. They came from every section of
America, with large numbers coming from
New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles,
Chicago, and Detroit. Each one possessed a
strong personal desire to serve the United States
of America proudly and to the best of his ability
as an airman, even while many other Americans
felt that black men lacked intelligence, skill,
courage and patriotism.

Those who possessed the physical and mental
qualifications and were accepted for aviation cadet training
were trained initially to be pilots, and later to
be either pilots, navigators, or bombardiers.
Most were college graduates or undergraduates,
while the remainder demonstrated their academic
qualifications through comprehensive
entrance examinations.

They trained as operations officers,
meteorologists, intelligence officers,
engineering officers, flight surgeons,
etc. Still others were trained to be aircraft
and engine mechanics, armament specialists,
radio repairmen, parachute riggers, control
tower operators, administrators and for every
other type of skill necessary to function as an
air force squadron, or ground support unit.

The black airmen who became single- or
multi-engine pilots were trained at Tuskegee
Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee Alabama.

Four hundred and fifty of the pilots were
trained at Tuskegee served overseas in
either the 99th Pursuit Squadron (later
the 99th Fighter Squadron) or the 332nd
Fighter Group. The 99th Fighter Squadron
trained in and flew P-40 Warhawks in combat
in North Africa, Sicily and Italy from April 1943
until July 1944 when they were transferred to the
332nd Fighter Group in the 15th Air Force.

The 99th Squadron distinguished itself by
being awarded two Presidential Unit Citations
(June-July 1943 and May 1944) for outstanding
tactical air support and aerial combat in the 12th
Air Force in Italy, before joining the 332nd
Fighter Group.

Berlin escort

The 332nd Fighter Group was awarded
the Presidential Unit Citation for its
longest bomber escort mission to Berlin,
Germany, March 24, 1945. It destroyed
three German ME-262 Jet fighters and
damaged five additional jet fighters
without losing any of the bombers
or any of its own fighter aircraft to
enemy fighters.

This is a picture of Captain Armour G.. McDaniels
who was shot down while escorting bombers to Belin
in March, 1945. He is surrounded (L to R) by Sergeant
Richard Adams, McDaniels, Lt. James McFatridge and
Ulysses Taylor. USAF, Maxwell AFB Archives.

The 332nd Fighter Group had also
distinguished itself in June 1944
when two of its pilots flying P-47
Thunderbolts discovered a German
destroyer in the harbor of Trieste, Italy.
One of the pilots, Lieutenant Gynne Pierson
of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, using only the
aircraft's 50-caliber machine guns, strafed the
destroyer, causing it to explode and sink. This
was another unprecedented aerial gunnery
feat of World War II.

The tenacious bomber escort cover
provided by the 332nd "Red Tail"
fighters often discouraged enemy
A fighter pilots from attacking bombers
escorted by the 332nd Fighter Group.
This resulted in fewer enemy fighter
challenges with resultant fewer enemy
aircraft destroyed or damaged by the
Group, as compared with other 15th Air
Force fighter escort groups. The successful
escort record resulted in frequent expressions
of appreciation from the 15th Air Force bomber
units and crews.

[firewalk]

Thanks for the ping SnowBunny. Hope your day's going well

[SAMWolf]

Thank you Cote. It's very much appreciated.

[radu]

Good afternoon, tomkow!!

[firewalk]

Nice flowers Tonkin...thanks for the ping.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi, Nonie 2's Mom!

[radu]

(A feeble attempt at humor of my own)

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.

3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second one.

4) Never ask your 3 yr. old brother to hold a tomato.

5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.

7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.

8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

[radu]

This beautiful vaseful of flowers looks great in the Canteen foyer for all to see as they enter. Thank you, Tonk.

((HUG))

[wtc911]

This is a thread honoring heroes...not a killer who kept track by marking his watch case for each kill....Floyd was no more a hero of the people than Mumia is....colorful yes, but a menace to his own society...millions of men in his same position never killed....he did...he was not betrayed by society...his own actions betrayed civilility...to mention him the way you do on this particular post is thoughtless and insulting at best.

[tomkow6]

Things Learned from My Children
(Honest and No Kidding)
* There is no such thing as child-proofing your house.

* If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades,
they can ignite.

* A 4 year-old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

* If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to
rotate a 42 pound boy wearing pound puppy underwear and a superman cape.

* It is strong enough however to spread paint on all four walls of a 20 by 20
foot room.

* Baseballs make marks on ceilings.

* You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on.

* When using the ceiling fan as a bat you have to throw the ball up a few times
before you get a hit.

* A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

* The glass in windows (even double pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a
ceiling fan.

* When you hear the toilet flush and the words Uh-oh, it's already too late.

* Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

* A six year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36 year old
man says they can only do it in the movies.

* A magnifying glass can start a fire even on an overcast day.

* If you use a waterbed as home plate while wearing baseball shoes it does not
leak -- it explodes.

* A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq foot house 4 inches
deep.

* Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a four year old.

* Duplos will not.

* Play Dough and Microwave should never be used in the same sentence.

* Super glue is forever.

* McGyver can teach us many things we don't want to know.

* Ditto Tarzan.

* No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on
water.

* Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

* VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

* Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

* Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

* You probably do not want to know what that odour is.

* Always look in the oven before you turn it on.

* Plastic toys do not like ovens.

* The fire department in San Diego has at least a 5 minute response time.

* The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make Earth worms dizzy.

* It will however make cats dizzy.

[radu]

WOOOHOOO!! The balloon looks like loads of fun!! And we won't be nearly as dangerous in this as we were last night in the helicopter. hehehehe! I'll still need a dose of Dramamine for this. giggle

[radu]

Oh, tomkow, be glad, very glad, you didn't fly wih us last night. It was a hair-raising experience, to say the least. But we did manage to bring it back down in one piece... and cleaned it up all spiffy before we returned it. :-D

[radu]

ROTFLMAO!!!!

[radu]

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jello to a tree.

2) Wrinkles don't hurt.

3) Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.

4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held it's ground.

5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.

6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the joy.

[Soaring Feather]

Hi Kathy

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks for coming by the Canteten today while we learn about the Tuskegee Airmen and thank you for the prayer.

[Soaring Feather]

From the web~~~~~

AN IRISH MONK'S CAT POEM:

This is an Irish poem written in the 9th century.
It is included in a book called "How the Irish
Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill. The author
gives an account of how Irish monks, scholars, and
saints devoted their lives to copying religious
and classical texts during the Dark Ages. He said
that this is "perhaps the clearest picture we
possess of what is was like to be a scribal scholar."
(And also what is what like to have a cat there
with you, too.)

PANGUR BAN MY CAT AND I

I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

'Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we...
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind...

So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Ban my cat and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

Source: Guideposts

[SAMWolf]

Ease up on Valin.

He posts regularly on this thread, taking an event or person from the History "Today in History" and he expands on the one line there. He meant no disrespect to the subject of this thread. His posts have always been interesting and informative.

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks for the photos Sam

[Johnny Gage]

Thanks for the Laughs!

Let's Roll!

[SAMWolf]

Your welcome Bentfeather. Thanks for the poems each day, you've even got me beginning to understand some of them. LOL!