Black History Month Event Celebrates Tuskegee Airmen

Edward Morast, president of the Ohio Tusgegee Airmen chapter, and Keona Williams, 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest junior division winner were among those featured at the Supreme Court of Ohio Black History tribute event. In recognition of Black History Month, the Supreme Court of Ohio paid tribute to the historical significance of the Tuskegee Airmen at the Ohio Judicial Center.

Nearly 1,000 men completed the flight course at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama between 1941 and 1945. The 332nd Fighter Group was composed of African American pilots and ground support personnel who trained at Tuskegee Field and became collectively known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Supreme Court last year unveiled a display of five paintings of some of these first African American pilots who flew World War II combat missions and played a major role in the integration of the U.S. Armed Forces.

The event also noted the Ohio connection to the Tuskegee Airmen: after WWII, the 332nd Fighter Group was stationed at Lockbourne Army Air Base (now Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base) in March 1946. An Ohio Historical Marker erected in Ohio's 2003 bicentennial year celebrates this fact. The marker reads: "In July 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, which mandated 'equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces.' The Tuskegee Airmen played a major role in the integration of all U.S. military forces."

In his welcoming remarks, Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer said the Tuskegee Airmen "cleared a swath for many young men and women who served in the military. These men forever changed the face of our country, not only through their military service, but also because they challenged the notion of liberty and equality."

As part of a question-and-answer session during the event, several African-American Armed Forces veterans spoke of the impact of the Tuskegee Airmen on their military careers.

Edward Morast, president of the Ohio Tuskegee Airmen chapter, who served in the military for 20 years beginning in 1956, said he reaped the benefits of the suffering the Tuskegee Airmen endured. "I had the opportunity to pursue the things I wanted to in the military because of the Tuskegee Airmen," he said. "They created opportunities that weren't there before."

Fred Harris, who spent 30 years in the Ohio Army National Guard flying helicopters, said he was a direct byproduct of the Tuskegee Airmen. "The efforts of the Tuskegee Airmen in 1940s paved the way for me in the 1950s to go into Army aviation."

George Collins, who served as an Air Force bombardier from 1951 to 1971, said he worked for and with many original Tuskegee Airmen, which he called an "inspiration." Collins also spoke of the strides women have made in the military.

The Black History Month program also featured Delaware artist Robert E. Tanner Sr., who painted the Tuskegee Airmen portraits; Keona Williams, the 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Youth Oratorical Contest junior division winner; Brigadier General Thomas Botchie, commander of the 121st Air Refueling Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard located at Rickenbacker; and a short film about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.