Reflective Paper: The Tuskegee Airmen
Newspaper Article written January 17, 1941
Melissa Luffman
Summer 2007
American History Teachers’ Collaborative
The specific World War II and the Holocaust topic I choose to analyze is the role
of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. During the American History Teachers’
Collaborative (AHTC) summer conference, much information was presented about
these pilots. We visited the Chanute Aerospace Museum, where a whole room is
dedicated to exhibiting the Tuskegee Airmen’s role in WW II. The AHTC website lists
specific sites to visit to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen. Books containing WW II
photographs and stories including the Tuskegee Airmen were given to each of the
seventy participants. A book called “Images of America: The Tuskegee Airmen”,
written by Lynn M. Homan and Thomas Reilly, shares a brief historical background of
these soldiers and many captioned pictures showing their role in the war. The CD of
WW II Primary Documents provides a folder containing both photographs and
newspaper articles related to the Tuskegee Airmen at the Chanute Air Force Base in
Rantoul, IL. After viewing many documents, photographs, and exhibits, I admired the
pride and devotion of these soldiers to fight for a country that repeatedly mistreated and
segregated them, and wanted to learn more about the Airmen both personally and to
share with my students.
The specific document I chose to analyze is a newspaper article from the WW II
CD of Primary Documents, printed January 17, 1941, titled “Chanute to Get Negro
Squadron”. The author and the name of the newspaper is unknown, but the article did
list Washington - Associated Press (AP). The article was written to inform Americans of
the ways the government is using all its resources to win the war, even developing a
Negro Pursuit Squadron.
The article discusses the formation and training of the Negro Pursuit Squadron at
the Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, IL. It lists the specific number of crew, pilots,
and planes to be trained. It also notes that several months of training will occur at
Chanute before the squadron is sent to Tuskegee.
This article was interesting to me because it had a tie to our community (I once
lived on the former Chanute Air Force Base), and was objective and fact-based. It
stated there were 400 ground crew, 33 pilots, and 27 planes that were trained at
Chanute as part of this Pursuit Squadron. The purpose of the article was to explain the
reason for starting this squadron: Allow Negro units in all branches of the military. The
article also noted Undersecretary Robert P. Patterson of the War Department
announced the squadron, the first of its kind in army history, and discussed the training
plan at Chanute before going to Tuskegee. Many views of these Negro soldiers
becoming pilots were negative. It was thought failure was inevitable. It was also
believed that this particular squadron would show that Negro soldiers were not as brave
or as efficient as other pilots were. The 99th Pursuit Squadron was proven one of the
most successful and efficient airmen units in WW II. I also thought it was interesting
and wondered why the author did not show any encouragement or rally for the Negro
troops in this article.
The information I learned about the Tuskegee Airmen during this
conference will be shared most intensely with my students during African-American
History Month. I received a poster from the Chanute Aerospace Museum of the planes
the Airmen flew. I have a book of photographs and captions of these soldiers’ lives in
the war. The photographs demonstrate the poor conditions and hard life these soldiers
lead during the war. It also shows the pride and happiness they felt for performing a job
they loved, and supporting the war efforts like other men. Learning about the
Tuskegee Airmen will demonstrate many life lessons that students will be able to
analyze, debate, and relate to their own lives and family.
A few lesson ideas include writing, reading and researching. I would
have the students write a letter of support to a chosen Tuskegee Airmen, showing the
encouragement and appreciation for their war service. The students would choose a
photograph from the Homan and Reilly book and write their own caption. Another idea
would be to choose an identified Tuskegee Airman, such as Ben Davis, and research
his life after World War II. Students could compare and contrast the various WW II
warplanes flown by different squadrons, including the 99th, based out of Chanute Air
Force Base in Rantoul, IL. These projects can be modified to meet the needs of all
learners in the classroom.