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.

[deadhead]

GOD BLESS THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN

Have a wonderful day All

[Johnny Gage]

THREE CHEERS FOR THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN!

LET'S ROLL!

[Militiaman7]

Saluting: Tuskegee Airmen

[Valin]

From the Minnesota wing Commemorative Air Force


Since 1988, the Minnesota Wing has been the custodian of an extremely rare (one of four left in existence) P-51C Mustang. The aircraft has had a long and varied career, facing many challenges to its very survival, much less ever again being flyable, during it's many years since it was manufactured. The story of this aircraft is rich and detailed and continuing to be documented. Presented here is only a very brief overview of the story surrounding what is now known as "Tuskegee Airmen."



P-51C-5 S/N 42-103645

Manufactured by North American Aviation in Dallas, Texas, this aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps on April 7, 1944.
The aircraft was first assigned to the 341st AAF Base Unit (Third Air Force) at Pinelle AAF, Florida. In December, 1944 it was transferred to the 378th AAF Base at Venice AAF, Florida. Finally, in June, 1945, the aircraft was moved to the 339th AAF Base Unit at Thomasville AAF, Georgia. The aircraft served as a trainer at each of these locations.

With the cessation of hostilities in August of 1945, 42-103645 wasa declared surplus and dropped from the inventory in October, 1945. Her final flight before a 56 year slumber, was to Montana State College in Bozeman, Montana where she was utilitized in the education of aspiring aviation students.

The tranquility of campus life came to an abrupt end when, in order to expedite its next move, for some obscure reason, the wings were sawed off! After the wings were cosmetically reattached by welding, the future Red Tail Project was destined to serve out its remaining days as a building ornament for a local VFW.

For more (or to help, this sort of thing costs MONEY / subtle hint)
http://www.cafsmw.org/smw-aircraft/Mustang.html

[Soaring Feather]

Good Morning Bunny!

Love ya girl!

[Eastbound]

Good morning, Neil and Snow Bunny and all. Just had to stop for a quick hello and check the bulletin board. Great tribute to our fellow-Americans! Such great work you all do in honoring and supporting our military.

[Soaring Feather]

Thank you for the beautiful flowers Canteen men and troops, I love them!

[Dick Bachert]

Tuskegee Air BUMP! THANKS, GUYS!!!

To fallen soldiers let us sing
Where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
To the Mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding, no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
Just divine embrace, eternal light
In the Mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
Through the ages safely keep
The Mansions of the Lord

[Valin]

Died on October 22 1934 - Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, gangster, shot dead at 30 by FBI in Ohio


Charles Arthur Floyd:
"Pretty Boy" from Cookson Hills

by Joe Geringer
Wrong Place, Wrong Time
"Then he took to the trees and rivers to lead a life of shame.
Every crime in Oklahoma was added to his name."

-- The Ballad of Pretty Boy Floyd

Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd rose from callus-fingered cotton picker to trigger-fingered desperado, one of the most colorful, nervy bank robbers in the history of Depression-era America. Less a bad man than a symbol of a turbulent era in the saga of the sagebrush. A Robin Hood who enjoyed hitting back against the wealthy for the defense of the poor, he is remembered in legend and in song, recalled not with a shudder but with almost a fond salute. In Oklahoma's Cookson Hills, where he grew up, he is an icon. "Pretty Boy," says biographer Michael Wallis, "is the stuff of legends."

But, Floyd was born too late, when the world was caught in a turmoil between past and present, from horse to horseless carriage, from telegraph to radio, from spoken legend to recorded deed. Even though his beloved Cookson Hills was slower to enter the 20th Century than much of the more populated areas of the country, it was maturing nevertheless, daily, impacted by an undeniable financial depression and a series of soil-sucking droughts that weakened even the leathery Okies' ability to endure their own growing pains.

Floyd transcended the discomfort of a backwards country boy thrust dizzily from the old world into the brink of the modern era. Like so many others who found it humanly impossible to cope with the ravages of a newer and less tranquil world, he fought back. And when he did so he found a fight unexpected – not the romantic glory gained by Jesse James, Henry Starr, Cole Younger and other boyhood heroes who had grown up on the same roads here he lived.

Because the world was changing swiftly, because highwaymen now moved quicker behind the wheel of a Ford Sedan than in the stirrups of their old gray mare, a new way of battling those highwaymen became apparent. Technology -- radio and telephone – produced a communications system that, even in infancy, outdid the old days when Jesse could ride faster than the news of his latest bank robbery. Floyd couldn't ride faster, but he tried. To the death he tried.

"He modeled himself after the desperadoes of the Wild West," says a special chapter of the popular television program, Biography. "While much of his heroics have been greatly exaggerated, there was an element of truth."

Many say that Charles Arthur Floyd --, they called him Choctaw, or Choc -- in an earlier setting, might never have resorted to crime. "He robbed banks, but he had morals, he had truth," nephew Glendon Floyd tells us in that same telecast. He was a boy who needed to "sow wild oats," attest his defenders, but unfortunately for him he was beginning to sow them at the time when the Oklahoma State Bureau of Criminal Identification, despite and because of its newness, was out to get its man. Even though the 1920s in this country practiced a flippant attitude to many social wrongs, it was the big city gangster in Chicago, New York and Kansas City who enjoyed that benefit. But, Choc could not buy the politicians who wanted to be bought nor pay off the brilliant lawyers who proved brilliant only when well-paid; Choc stole just enough from the banks to keep himself and his gang members fed, their automobiles gassed and his fellow Oakies out of the poor house. And, therefore, his oats were sowed to consequence.


In the end, Choc Floyd was betrayed. Not by a woman in red, as was Indiana bank robber John Dillinger; not by his own taste for blood, as was the mad-boy child "Baby Face" Nelson; not by a death wish that was Bonnie and Clyde's. But, allegedly, by an ambitious protector of American Justice called J. Edgar Hoover who thought Floyd would be better a stepping stone to higher things if killed and not incarcerated. In short, America betrayed him when it forecast an end to its tolerance for wild oats to make way for progressiveness and modernity.

Charles Arthur Floyd couldn't keep up.

For more
http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters/prettyboy/index.html

[larryjohnson]

In January,1944,the 322d Fighter Group and its squadrons shipped to Italy. One pilot in the famed 9th was Archie F. williams,a track star in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin(already holding the world 440 record). He had receive his commission in 1943 after completing the aviation meteorological cadet program at UCLA. After WWII,Archie served continuously with the Air Weather Service,reaching Detachment Commander. He retired in 1963 as a Major.
Although I was in the AWS from 59-71,I never met Major Willams.
"Thor's Legions,Weather Support To The U.S.Air Force and Army,1937-1987".

[Valin]

1797 - Andre-Jacques Garnerin makes 1st parachute jump from balloon (Paris)



It was during the time of the first hot air balloons. A man named Andre-Jacques GARNERIN lived in France and made his living traveling around the countryside doing exhibitions with various fairs. Everyone in his family was involved with his love for aviation, especially his wife Genevieve LABROSSE, and his niece, Elisa, who were the first two women to jump. Genevieve jumped in 1798 and Elisa followed her soon thereafter. Elisa went on to make forty jumps between 1815 and 1836.

Before GARNERIN's jump in 1797, a man in London named J. P. BLANCHARD threw a dog out of a balloon with a parachute. I found no further text which addresses the health of this poor animal after the jump, so I might assume he did not survive. The parachute used for the dog was described as conical in shape and probably too small. (like a windsock, maybe?) Also before GARNERIN's jump, there was a guy who jumped from the second floor of a building with an umbrella, but this wasn't taken seriously as a parachute jump.

Our man, Andre-Jacques, had been experiencing a little trouble with the law during his traveling show. It seems that he was somewhat of a swindler and he had developed a nasty habit of charging people money to see his balloon fly, and then unable to get the thing off the ground. One spectator complained of his swindling, probably because of his inability to get it up (the balloon), and he was arrested and freed under bond to either perform his promised balloon ascent and parachute jump, or go straight back to jail. He now had a very real psychological incentive to succeed, or else be ruined and returned to jail.

When he arrived at the takeoff site, everything was already prepared for his show. The takeoff location was in the Park Monceau. The date was October 22, 1797. The takeoff was at 5:28 PM and the balloon (aerostat)rose rapidly to an altitude of 700 meters. The balloon exploded and Andre-Jacques had to cut the rope sooner than he had planned. There was a crowd of people gathered to witness the event, and many of them turned their heads away when they saw the explosion, fearing it was the end of our friend GARNERIN. But, voila, here comes our hero under his homemade parachute, 10 meters in diameter, with a reported 30 square meters of canopy fabric and 36 suspension lines. There was no vent in the center of the top of the canopy, so his oscillations were horrible. The canopy ride was quite unstable as air spilled uncontrollably around the skirt of the canopy. It was not until 1802 that his friend named LALANDE suggested he leave a hole at the apex. His uncontrolled landing occurred in the Plaine Monceau, about 1 kilometer North of the park, and he quickly got a ride back to his point of departure.


As a wise man once said, "Hey, I don't even jump out of bed!"

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good Morning Troops, families, veterans, and Canadian and Israeli allies (and everybody else). Thank you for taking such good care of the USA.

Today in Anchorage, Alaska:

Sunrise 9:02am
Sunset 6:24pm

Hi 49F
Lo 40F
Cloudy and sun

Actual yesterday in Anchorage:

Hi 53F
Lo 47F

State Hi 59F Metlakatla
State Lo -8F Point Lay

[MeekOneGOP]

The Rockville, Maryland Sniper victim shot this morning passed away a short while ago.

[tomkow6]

Morning, Kathy!

[SAMWolf]

Tuskegee Airmen



The "Tuskegee Airmen" flew P-51 Mustangs to an unparalleled record in Southerm Europe during World War II. These men fought all odds -on both sides- to prove that honor and valor are truly color blind. 1944.

Combat Record through June 9, 1945:
Numbers are Destroyed Damaged TOTAL

Aircraft (aerial) 111 25 136
Aircraft (ground) 150 123 273
Barges & Boats 16 24 40
Box Cars & Other Rolling Stock 58 561 619
Buildings & Factories 0 23 23
Gun Emplacements 3 0 3
Destroyers 1 0 1
Horse Drawn Vehicles 15 100 115
Motor Transports 6 81 87
Power Transformers 3 2 5
Locomotives 57 69 126
Radar Installations 1 8 9
Tanks on Flat Cars 0 7 7
Oil & Ammunition Dumps 2 0 2

Total Combat Missions:

Total Missions 12th Air Force 1,267
Total Missions 15th Air Force 311
Total Sorties 12th Air Force 6,381
Total Sorties 15th Air Force 9,152
Grand Total Missions 1,578
Grand Total Sorties 15,533
Total Number of Pilots Sent Overseas 450
Total Number of Pilots Graduated at Tuskegee 992
TOTAL KILLED IN ACTION 66

Awards:

Legion of Merit 1
Silver Star 1
Soldier Medal 2
Purple Heart 8
Distinguished Flying Cross 95
Bronze Star 14
Air Medal and Clusters 744
Final total of Distinguished Flying Crosses awarded to Negro pilots estimated at 150

[Mr_Magoo]

Air Power

NORTH AMERICAN B-45C "TORNADO"

The B-45 was the first American four-engine jet bomber to fly and the first USAF jet bomber to go into production. Work on the design of the "Tornado" began during WW II and the first B-45 made its initial flight on March 17, 1947. B-45s remained in USAF operational use from 1948 until 1958.

North American built a total of 142 B-45s including 10 long-range B-45Cs with wingtip fuel tanks and 33 RB-45s configured for high altitude photo reconnaissance. Some RB-45Cs flew combat missions during the Korean War.

In 1952, using in-flight refueling, two RB-45Cs made the first nonstop trans-Pacific flight by multi-engine jet bombers. In flying the 3,640 miles from Alaska to Japan in 9 hours and 50 minutes, one of the pilots won the Mackay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of that year.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 89 ft.
Length: 75 ft. 4 in.
Height: 25 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 110,000 lbs. max.
Armament: Two .50-cal. machine guns in the tail; 22,000 lbs. of bombs
Engines: Four General Electric J47s of 6,000 lbs. thrust ea.
Cost: $1,081,000

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 570 mph.
Cruising speed: 500 mph.
Range: 1000 miles
Service Ceiling: 37,550 ft.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Bless This House hummed along with this morning, twice because I love this song for our USO Canteen, and Prayer of Protection said for all who enter the USO Canteen Freeper Style, including our troops, our veterans, their families and our allies. Welcome to all who come to honor our troops, for whom this USO Canteen was created.

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you

The love of God enfold you

The power of God protect you

The presence of God watch over you

Wherever you are, God is,

And all is well.

Amen.

Wherever you are, God is, And all is well.

Congratulations Flagman and GooberDoll!!

[Radix]

I recently watched that movie about the Tuskagee Airmen. I think that it was on The History Channel. During the breaks they had two of the men who were part of the group on the set answering questions. I was getting tingly just listening to them talk.
This is a great topic that you have focused on today!

On the other hand, Why should today be different?

Thank You.

[SAMWolf]

In the face of strong resistance from the military establishment and most officials in the War Department, a relentless effort was carried on by a number of Black organizations and individuals, including sympathetic Whites, to persuade the government to accept Blacks for training by the Air Corps in military aviation. After considerable debate on the subject, the government agreed to establish a program in which African American applicants would be trained in all aspects of military aviation and sent into combat as a segregated unit.

In January 1941, under the direction of the NAACP, a Howard University student, Yancey Williams, filed suit against the War Department to compel his admission to a pilot training center. Almost immediately following the filing of the suit, the War Department under pressure from northern congressmen, and with an order from the Commander-in-Chief, Franklin Roosevelt, announced that it would establish an aviation unit near Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, in cooperation with the institute for the training of Negro pilots for the Army. This unit was to be called the 99th Pursuit Squadron.

The First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, was a strong supporter of the Tuskegee Airmen. She even "inspected the troops" and took a ride with a recent graduate.

The first pilot class, completed the training and received their wings on March 7, 1942. The five graduates were: Captain Benjamin O. Davis, 2nd Lieutenant Lemuel R. Custis, 2nd Lieutenant Charles DeBow, 2nd Lieutenant George S. Roberts, and 2nd Lieutenant Mac Ross.

The Red Tails Enter Combat

The Tuskegee Airmen we nick-named "Red Tails" because of the distinctive red paint on their tails. Airplanes in Tuskegee, Alabama where the group trained were painted with red markings to identify students. When the unit moved to North Africa, replacement aircraft were often bare metal with no paint except for basic identification numbers. It was decided that the colors of the trainer aircraft of Tuskegee would carry over into combat. A simple "A" on the side of the fuselage would designate the 99th Pursuit Squadron, "B" the 100th, "C" the 301st, and "D" for the 302nd.

The Airmen had an illustrious record in combat. Over Italy in 1944, Lt. Gwynne Pierson, Lt. Windell Pruitt and four other Tuskegee Airmen, flying P-47’s, attacked a German Destroyer (TA-27) in Trieste Harbor. Accurate machine gun fire hit the powder magazine and sank the ship. Thus Pierson and Pruitt are credited with the destruction of an enemy ship using only machine gun fire.

The 450 Tuskegee Airmen assigned to the African/European Theater flew 1578 missions - 15,553 combat sorties while fighting the Germans, both in North Africa and Italy; the unequaled record of not having lost a single bomber, while they were escorting, due to enemy aircraft action. Bomber crews saw the "Red Tails" as a welcome sight.

The contributions of the 477th Bombardment Group and their struggle to achieve parity and recognition as competent military professionals, leading to the War Department's evaluation of it's racial policies and the ultimate desegregation of the military.

A total of 926 pilots graduated from Tuskegee Army Flying School over the years. Class 46-C was the last class to finish training at the school and graduated on June 29, 1946. Shortly thereafter the "Tuskegee Experience" ended with the closing of Tuskegee Army AirField.

Tuskegee set the tone for leadership in the newly formed Air Force. Excellence was expected and results were positive. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. would become a general and command several air wings as well as Air Force bases. He would lead a new generation of African-American’s who were professional soldiers and great leaders.

Another Tuskegee graduate was Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., the first USAF African-American 4-star general. After he was promoted to 4-star grade on Sept. 1, 1975, James was assigned as Commander in Chief North American Air Defense Command and Aerospace Defense Command, a position he held until his retirement on Feb. 1, 1978. He died 24 days later. Chappie served in WWII as well as the wars in Korean and Vietnam.