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

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[Snow Bunny]

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The USO Canteen FReeper Style
Delivering a Touch of Home

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A Touch of Home

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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

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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.

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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.

[radu]

During the days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I was young enough not to be fully aware of the situation, but old enough to know it was something "very bad".

My strongest memory of that time is that a neighbor had a bomb shelter and I wished we had one....just in case.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hi Eastbound, nice to have you join us in honoring our troops. Be sure and check out Mail Call Monday's for the troops feelings. It is so neat that they feel like they can drop in any time and feel at home.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Valin, for this bio on "Choc" Floyd.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Do the numbers mean the size of what comes out of the tube, or the diameter of the tube, or ?????????????????

[MoJo2001]

Wonderful thread!! This thread is a wonderful story about what a country can do when it works together to overcome an enemy that hated America. God Bless the Tuskegee Airmen and what they accomplished as a group of proud Americans.

Which brings me to the sniper

Why We Refuse To Live In Fear

I have joked about the fact the sniper has still not been caught. I guess it's the only way for me to deal with the fact that this person is out there trying to bring hell to the rest of us. I guess he/she just assumed that we didn't have enough terrorizing from September 11th.

Many of you out there are troops. Many of you are fighting a terrorist war on our behalf. You fight on our behalf with courage, bravery, and determination. There are no cowards among you.

This person has tried to shake us. He/She has tried to traumatize our neighbors, friends, countrymen and women, and cowardly even our children. He/She must feel very proud of what they are doing. The lives that have been destroyed and the families they leave behind. Sounds a lot like September 11th, huh? It's probably a feeling that can be felt by the family members of those victims of Bali and Israel.

Yet, I don't worry. I don't even give a rat's rear end whether he/she lives or dies. Why?

We've seen a bit of Hell and there's only one way to go from there. We have lived with fear. We have lived with anger. We've cried and prayed. We've questioned God and we waited for answers.

What did we find out?

We found out that we are a strong and determined people. We found that while we are scared, we are a resilient people. We've been there, done that. We've been brutalized and victimized. We've seen our children's tears. We've cried for the loss of their innocence and their youth. Yet, we have overcome. We have taken a horrible atrocity and we grew stronger. We found true friends and we were thankful. We found that supposed friends were wishy-washy and we've put them on notice.

So? Spare us your damn ego trip. Whether you are a terrorist from the Middle East or here in America. We have already overcome your pathetic attempt at attention. We watch our children a little closer. Maybe we became more aware of our surroundings. By God, WE ARE READY. Our military hunts you down in your backyard and we will watch our backyard while they are gone. God Bless our military. God Bless Our Allies! God Bless our Rich Tradition! God Bless The Victims Families!

SO? Here's something from me to you:

KISS MY BUTT!! WE REFUSE TO LIVE IN FEAR!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Balloons are slow. Can you handle "slow"? LOL! And have you recovered from last night's white knuckle flight? BTW, you did a good job reading the instruction manual last night.

[radu]

Thank you for posting PANGUR BAN MY CAT AND I, bentfeather. I love it and I'll bet the cat-loving troops do, too. I know they're out there from their e-mails. (but I don't believe any have as many as we have underfoot here. LOL!)

I'm printing that one off to keep. :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Yeah, Sandy, you deserve that hug. Thank you for your service to our country in the Navy. ((HUG)) Prayers continue for you.

[Valin]

It's good to be back. Waaaay to much work.
Apparently someone didn't appreciate it.
Oh well, I'll just have to live with it.

[Soaring Feather]

Nonie is very happy you are reading poetry!

Nonie 2 is jumping with joy!

[Jen]

Balloon! Uh oh! Have I ever mentioned my fear of heights? I think I'll follow y'all in the chase car.

[radu]

Slow is wonderful! Some of my hair is still standing after last night's adventure. LOL!

I'll have to get back to my glass tonight but may reach a good stopping point in time to come back before everybody is asleep.

[SAMWolf]

It's the inside diameter of the bore (tube).

[Soaring Feather]

I have read you have many cats, the above bat is waving hi, and you're welcome.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Now just a darn minute, radu. We got off the ground, went from Point A to P Point B and landed right where we were told to by this guy. LOL! We didn't even take 2 tries. I think that's pretty good, don't you? I didn't notice any dents or scratches on the parts I waxed and polished.

And the dog biscuits were gone this morning, so I'm guessing Beamer is the one who ate them, althought Buppy thought they looked pretty good. Hehehe!

[radu]

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

Does someone actually get paid to try to get worms dizzy? hehe!

....It will however make cats dizzy.

Cats are 'dizzy' critters anyway. LOL!

[radu]

Hope to see you tonight, Duchess. I can make no promises that I'll be able to get back but I'm certainly going to try. :-)

Isn't the balloon cool? Hmmmm, I wonder if there's room in the basket to take some of the troops along with us. At least we can't get to wild with the balloon and make anyone nervous who wants to come along. LOL!

[radu]

The bat is adorable!

Yes, I have a few critters here (is THAT an understatement!) We have 36 who are tame and 3 wild tom cats that come by to eat periodically. I'm trying to tame them but it's a slow process and I don't claim them just yet. 36 is plenty for now. LOL!

I have a small parrot, too. (named Radu) hehe!

[GatorGirl]

Greetings!

It's almost bedtime story time so I'm just stopping in to say "hello", however, my darling husband will be heading out this evening to play ice hockey, so I might be able to sneak back in to visit a little while tonite.

Hope all is well with everyone tonight. Thank you, brave servicemembers, for the sacrifices you make for FREEDOM!