Posted on 05/09/2009 8:33:12 PM PDT by smokingfrog
U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
5/8/2009 - U.S Air Force Academy, Colo. (AFNS) -- The Tuskegee Airmen secured their place in history more than 60 years ago by doing what few people thought they could. They overcame naysayers in the U.S. Army Air Corps before they overcame the Luftwaffe in the skies over Italy and Germany. Their legendary story has inspired numerous books, a movie and thousands of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets.
Born in 1925, Dr. Coggs first became interested in flying after he saw a plane fly low over his hometown of Little Rock, Ark.
"As soon as I saw that plane, I knew that's what I wanted to do," he said.
He volunteered to join the Army and sought an opportunity to fly. Howevr, his dream abruptly met a wall. Recently, some of these cadets were able to meet several of these living legends.
Six Tuskegee Airmen visited the academy April 24 to share their stories with the Air Force's next generation of leaders. Among them were three veterans of the original Tuskegee Airmen: Dr. Granville Coggs, retired Col. Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum and Samuel Hunter, Jr.
Dr. Coggs, a resident of San Antonio, was the first Tuskegee Airman to arrive and he spoke to cadets during a World War II history class.
(Excerpt) Read more at af.mil ...
OK. Thanks for the good discussion, FRiend.
Why are you so damned argumentative?If El Gato’s numbers approximate with yours then I was wrong (and quite surprised).
If El Gato is correct (and he’s been spot on so far) over one third of our total population was involved in the war effort. Those were times when patriotism out-trumped all else for the sake of our nation. Do you have any difference with me being happy about that or do you still have to argue about something for the sake of argument itself?
I’d rather “lay down swords” and work to get our nation back from this illegal alien and his minions.
That may actually overstate current numbers other sources say 1,454,515 total active duty, but only 848,000 reservists, as of Feb, 2009. That actually sounds about right. We had over 2M active duty alone at the end of the Reagan years.
Yes, I’m getting used too being the fool. I do know enough to point out that the lack of men gave our women the opportunity to prove themselves as dependable and dedicated laborers in a time when they were regarded as housewives and incubators. Nowadays I see women are bringing more cash in than men while this recession grinds on.
About 12% were actually on duty, but not necessarily quite all of them at the same time. That 16.5 million is the total number who served, not the number at any one time. Still when you consider all the people working in the armaments factories, you probably do get to 1/3, maybe even higher. My Dad, and both blood uncles were in that active duty component. (the paternal uncle was sunk in the Greenland Sea by a U-boat in November of '42, while serving as Naval Armed Guard aboard the Liberty Ship George Rodgers Clark. He got off with *only* the loss a couple of toes to frostbite. My Mom, even though she was in high school for much of the war, was also one of those defense plant workers. When she first graduated from high school, at 16, she worked as an elevator operator, non defense, but then shifted to the Stop-Nut (sp?) company, which made fuses, and continued to do so up through the late 50s or early 60s, but then it was part of Timex. My aunt worked there then, she also worked at an Army Ammunition plant, helping to pour liquid explosive material (liquid because it was HOT) into bomb casings, but that was during Vietname, when she was a middle aged lady.
Dad and both Uncles are gone now, although the maternal uncle only died last year. Aunt is gone too. Oldest Aunt, and my Mom, the baby of the family, are still with us. I'll call her tomorrow so she can be told Happy Mothers Day by her great granddaughter, who right now is asleep in MY BED!
I try not to put up easily verifiable information without first checking. And maybe checking a second source if the first doesn't agree with my first notions. Google is your friend. (although I usually use Alta Vista, which seems to work better for the sorts of things I search for)
I was remiss not looking up the numbers since the mid 1970s and appreciate the update. If one really rolls in the patriotic against the cowards, hard-core communists and Nazi sympathizers I dare say 90% of our citizens sacrificed a great deal for the overall war effort, ESPECIALLY those who put stars in their windows. Note how many Hollywood actors and athletes put their careers on hold to serve. We don’t see anything like that these days nor expect to see it from people who have staffs telling them that the universe revolves around them.
Yet I am still rather shocked to see how large the fifth column was then at a time when they were most unpopular. Now that column has grown to dominate most of the media and controls most of of the information of people who don’t know to look outside their propaganda feeds. They dominate our schools, are rife in our religious institutions and are all over the government at all levels.
Happy Mother’s Day to the great ladies you have and I envy you that you have them to honor. While Mother’s Day was originally a scheme to sell flowers and cards mothers deserve this day regardless, or despite, corporate intentions. I like to think it transcended to what it should be.
and Booker T. Washington....oh sorry...i forgot, Booker T. was not a great American and is hardly, if ever mentioned to kids in school during Black History Month or any other time.
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