REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- An encounter with his daughter's adviser at Stetson University introduced Redstone Arsenal contractor Louis Eyermann to a part of U.S. history that helped break down barriers for minorities both in the military and in American society.
That chance encounter with student adviser Dr. Patrick Coggins -- author of Tuskegee Airmen Fighter Pilot: A Story of An Original Tuskegee Pilot -- led Eyermann, who works for the Aviation Systems Project Office, Program Executive Office for Aviation, to not only read Coggins' book, but to also do his own research on the struggles, challenges and successes of the Tuskegee Airmen. It has also led him to look for ways to build future connections between historic Tuskegee Airmen and today's Army aviation community, including his recent presentation of a copy of Coggins' book to Brig. Gen. Bob Marion, the program executive officer for aviation.
"The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is all about Army aviation back in the 1940s," Eyermann said. "It is a pretty rich history. What is our affiliation or contact today with the history of the Tuskegee Airmen?"
Eyermann said the book -- filled with anecdotes from the life of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Hiram Mann and his fellow fighter pilots who overcame segregation both in the U.S. and Europe -- instills a "tremendous sense of pride" in this group's determination to serve their country.
"These patriots flew out of passion for flying and also for serving their country," Eyermann said. "It was 20 years before President John F. Kennedy's 'Ask not what your country can do for you' speech. The magnitude of their commitment to fly, and serve in the military and defend their country is amazing, especially since they came from a time when they were repressed and segregated by society."
The Tuskegee Airmen -- known as "Red Tails" during World War II -- were men and women, blacks and whites, who were involved in the so-called "Tuskegee Experience," the Army Air Corps program based in Tuskegee to train blacks to fly and maintain combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors and all personnel who kept the Tuskegee Airmen flying during World War II. Coggins, who is also a professor at Stetson University in Florida, said he focused his book on Mann after they met through Coggins' research to locate Tuskegee Airmen for a presentation series.
"We became close and he was able to share his life with me," Coggins said. "I particularly like one quote of his on page 218 in the book where he is talking about how life is like a tiger. You can either lie down and give up or you can sit on that tiger's back and ride it. He was saying that you have to ride the problems, not let the problems ride you."
The Tuskegee Airmen were commanded by Gen. Benjamin Davis Jr., the son of the Army's first black general and the first black cadet to graduate from West Point. His leadership of the only all-black aviation unit during World War II helped to speed the integration of the Air Force. Under Davis' command in the European Theater during World War II, the airmen escorted American bombers, defending them against enemy fighters. They shot down 111 enemy planes, and destroyed or damaged 273 on the ground at a cost of more than 70 pilots killed or missing in action.
Before the Red Tails joined the war, as many as 65 American bombers a day -- carrying crews of about 15 men -- were shot down by enemy forces.
"They never lost an escort and that is a God-driven thing," Eyermann said. "Statistically that is improbable. That's the thing that really grabbed me about the Tuskegee Airmen.
"Their story represents a tremendous amount of sacrifice by a small group of Americans who wanted to fight for their country out of love for their country and that's very motivating."
The reason they were so successful at their mission, Coggins said, is because they stayed focused on the mission.
"They were told to do only one thing -- defend American bombers. So, they wouldn't go flying off when Germany sent an attack plane. They would wait and if the German planes got close they would shoot them down. But they never left their bombers open to attack," Coggins said.
"They shot down quite a lot of German planes that way. It got to where when the German pilots saw their red tails, they would know to leave them alone. And white bomber pilots got to where they requested Tuskegee Airmen for escort."
Coggins wrote his book after his own chance encounters with the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1994, he was charged with scheduling motivational and inspirational speakers for the Palm Beach County School District, Florida. In his search for speakers, he came across the Tuskegee Airmen and their story.
"Their story really touched me. They sacrificed so much to become pilots and then they made sacrifices in war to protect American bombers over Europe. Their only mission was to protect those bombers, so they would surround them and protect them until they landed," Coggins said. "I really felt like we would not have achieved civil rights as quickly as we did if not for their service."
Following World War II, in 1948, President Harry Truman issued an executive order integrating the armed forces. The newly formed Air Force was the first branch to implement the executive order.
"The Tuskegee Airmen are an inspiration to all. Because of their experience, blacks became integrated in our military. They show that small groups of committed people can make things happen. They are part of what makes Army aviation so great," Eyermann said.
Tuskegee Airmen were highly decorated -- being awarded more than 744 air medals, 14 Bronze Crosses and many Distinguished Flying Crosses. Many continued after World War II to have distinguished military careers. But it wasn't until 2007 that the Tuskegee Airmen were collectively recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal. Coggins' book was published in 2010.
"Up until that time nothing was being said about them nationally," Coggins said. "In the mid-1990s, when I was looking for speakers for the school series, nothing was being said about them. They really didn't start to get recognized as a group until 1997. Then, they got the Congressional Gold Medal and, after my book was published, they started getting television exposure and movies were made about them, and they began to be honored for what they did."
For today's service members, the Tuskegee Airmen represent all seven Army values, and especially selfless service.
"In the book, Lt. Col. Mann represents the total unselfish actions of a group of men who served their country," said Eyermann, a Vietnam veteran. "These men were not immediately recognized for what they did. But now they are known and very, very much appreciated. We need to find more ways to share their story. It is a great part of our history."
Coggins said the Tuskegee Airmen have three traits that stand out strongly in their story -- Unity: They had to support each other rather than compete against each other; Self-Determination: They knew if they succeeded they would help an entire population of people who were struggling to fulfill their dreams; and Faith: They understood that if they didn't have faith in God they needed to find something to have faith in because the journey would be long and difficult.
Since the mid-1990s, there has been a movement recognizing the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. One of the book's life lessons -- "Don't judge a book by its cover" -- has also been played out at events where both blacks and whites have come together to recognize the Tuskegee Airmen.
"There was one gathering of about 1,000 blacks. A white man came to this event. No one spoke to him and he seemed suspicious. But Dr. Coggins spoke to him and asked him why he was there. The man said 'I flew in World War II and the Tuskegee Airmen saved my life. I'm here to thank them.' Discrimination and those kinds of things go both ways. All of us will be minorities in the next 10 or 15 years. We need to be a band of brothers," Eyermann said.
Today, there are about 20 Tuskegee Airmen still alive. Eyermann is working with Coggins to search out ways to further share the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. A member of the West Point Society, he hopes to have Coggins speak to the local group in the near future. Redstone employees interested in connecting with Tuskegee Airmen and continuing their legacy can join the Tuskegee Airmen Inc.
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen after they returned from war is just as riveting as what they went through to become Army aviators.
"They went to war and demonstrated they were Americans who would fight for their country. They fought the enemy at home as well as abroad," Coggins said. "They flew missions in the European theater and risked their lives and sacrificed, and then they come home to Jim Crow laws (state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the South that continued in force until 1965). They continued to defend and fight for their country."
Editor's note: To learn more about joining the Tuskegee Airmen Inc., visit its website at http://tuskegeeairmen.org.
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