BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - On this 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor we remember the bravery of members the Greatest Generation who ran to battle when America declared War on Japan entering World War 2.
Note: Video available on WBRC website in the article link.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - On this 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor we remember the bravery of members the Greatest Generation who ran to battle when America declared War on Japan entering World War 2.
Alabama’s contribution is cemented through the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen an elite league of Black Fighter Pilots trained on Moton Field on the campus of Tuskegee University.
During the war, these fighter jets were distinguished by their bright red tails and were so successful in escorting bomber planes safely those pilots would request them specifically.
Lt. Colonel Richard Peace is an F16 fighter jet pilot with the Alabama Air National Guard who is making sure the legacy stays alive.
Five years ago, when he found out there was only one black pilot in his squadron in Montgomery, he joined forces with the General to create the Red Tail Scholarship Foundation aimed at increasing black representation within the aviation industry. Lt. Colonel Peace says right now black pilots make up only about 2 percent of pilots in the US.
What better way to continue the legacy of the history making Tuskegee Airmen than to make sure generations to come have the opportunities they fought for and paved the way to create.
We talked to Peace about the new Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School set to start in 2022 at the Bessemer Municipal Airport and his inspiration to become a pilot from his own relationship with a Tuskegee Airmen and so much more.
Reference website www.wbrc.com
Main Article link https://www.wbrc.com/2021/12/08/foundation-tuskegee-designed-help-young-aspiring-pilots/
By Sarah Verser
Published: Dec. 8, 2021 at 2:09 AM GMT+2