UVa Library Press Releases
'The Tuskegee Airmen Experience: Segregation in
the Military during WWII'
COLONEL CHARLES E. McGEE (USAF, RETIRED) AND HISTORIAN
BILL HOLTON TO SPEAK AT U.VA. FEBRUARY 21, 2002
Contact: Melissa Cox Norris at (434) 924-4254 or mln4n@virginia.edu
WHO: Colonel Charles E. McGee (USAF, Retired)
and Historian Bill Holton
WHAT: "The Tuskegee Airmen Experience:
Segregation in the Military during WWII,"a talk
about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and the experience
of racial segregation in the U.S. Military during
World War II.
A book signing of Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of
Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record
Holder by Charlene E. McGee will follow the talk in
the Ward Room of Maury Hall.
WHEN: Thursday, February 21 from 3:00 to 5:00
p.m.
Free and open to the public.
WHERE: Maury Hall 209
February 11, 2002 - While much of white America during
World War II believed black men could not serve the
country as airmen, a determined group of African-Americans
trained as pilots, navigators, and bombardiers at
the Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) in Tuskegee, Alabama.
From 1942 to 1946, approximately 992 African-Americans
graduated from aviation cadet classes at TAAF and
received their pilot's wings. Known as the Tuskegee
Airmen, 450 of them served overseas during WWII in
either the 99th Fighter Squadron or the 332nd Fighter
Group. Both groups garnered presidential citations
for their distinguished service. Meanwhile, African-American
airmen officers were often discriminated against by
other soldiers who treated them as "trainees,"
denying them officer respect and privileges such as
access to the base officers' club.
On February 21, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in Maury Hall
209, Colonel Charles McGee, a decorated Air Force
fighter pilot who flew with the Tuskegee Airmen, and
Bill Holton, national historian for the Tuskegee Airmen,
will share the history of the veteran flyers and the
racial segregation African-American soldiers often
experienced in the U.S. Military forces. A book signing
of Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee,
Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder by Charlene
E. McGee will follow the talk in the Ward Room of
Maury Hall.
Colonel McGee, born in Cleveland, Ohio, joined the
Army in October 1942 and entered Army Air Corps Flight
Training in November of that year. He remained on
active duty for 30 years and became a command pilot
with over 6,100 total hours flown. He flew fighter
aircraft combat tours in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Colonel McGee received numerous awards and citations
including the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying
Cross. He now lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Holton was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and volunteered
for the US Navy in September 1944 and served until
1948. He received his Ph.D. from Howard University
in 1979. Since 1997, he has served as the National
Historian for the Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated. Holton
lives in Arlington, Virginia.
"The Tuskegee Airmen Experience: Segregation
in the Military during WWII" is free and open
to the public. The talk is part of the University
of Virginia's celebration of African-American Heritage
Month and is sponsored by the University Library Multicultural
Issues Committee, along with the Office of African-American
Affairs, the University Housing Office, the University
Equal Opportunity Programs Office, the University
of Virginia Bookstore, Air Force ROTC Detachment 890,
and the Corcoran Department of History.
The University Library Multicultural Issues Committee
was formed in 1990 to "guide the library in its
commitment to promote issues of diversity." The
committee uses education, policy recommendations,
and events such as the upcoming talk to increase awareness
and to encourage a diverse working and learning environment.
For more information, contact Anne Causey at (434)
924-3595 or by e-mail at apc7f@virginia.edu
or Al Napier by phone at (434) 243-8636 or by e-mail
at arn3c@virginia.edu.
To learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen, visit the
Web site http://tuskegeeairmen.org/
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