Pa. Teens Get Insider's Look at Tuskegee WW II Heroes |
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by KYW's Steve Tawa
A new film tells the story of the original Tuskegee Airmen -- a group highly decorated African-American pilots who served during World War II. And students viewing it will be learning through the eyes of the veterans.
One of the film's principals, 84-year-old Luther Smith of Villanova, Pa., a retired Air Force captain (shown in WW II era photo), had to bail out of his burning P-51 "Mustang" aircraft in October 1944 after it was hit by debris from exploding fuel tankers on the ground during a bomber escort mission:
"The concussion of the explosion blew out the windows in my cockpit because I was flying so low."
He was held as a prisoner of war for seven months. He says German captors treated him well despite his being a black American and a prisoner:
"When German doctors entered the room, they would 'Sieg heil' me, with the German salute. That was the kind of respect I was given."
While the Tuskegee airmen contributed significantly to the achievement of racial equality in the military -- in 1948, President Truman made desegregation the officialy policy in the military -- they came home to a segrated society.
The film, called "On Freedom's Wings, Bound For Glory," will now be shown all over the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in grades 5 through 11, thanks to the efforts of the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum.
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