Lee A. Archer Jr. who was one of the prominent members of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII, past away last week at the age of 90. Born in 1919, Mr. Archer would dream about becoming a pilot while growing up in Harlem. During the war, the armed forces were still very segregated and flying into combat was a responsibility not previously bestowed upon African-Americans. The four squadron Tuskegee Airmen would prove time and time over that the all black unit could prove their mettle and Mr. Archer would be key pilot in shooting down several german planes over a battle in Hungary. Lee Archer visited Iraq about five years ago and witness the modern day version of his air unit. He told the associated press, “This is the new Air Force...black, white, Asian, Pacific Islanders, people from different parts of Europe.”
“This,” he said, “is what America is.”
Read more about one of the last Tuskegee Airmen from America's greatest generation in the NY Times obituary: LINK. Photo courtesy of the Archer Family via the New York Times
No comments:
Post a Comment