Tuskegee Airmen of World War II
During WWII there were many men that were forgotten. The Tuskegee Airmen made a major contribution. Where did they come from? Jakeman’s book, “The Divided Skies” recollects where the Tuskegee Airmen came from. It is he who goes in depth about the Tuskegee Institute and its formation, which ultimately gives birth to the Tuskegee Airmen. After their superb flight training, there were a select few that made a major impact in the war through their excellent piloting skills. These men are known today as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Keeping the Tuskegee Airmen Legacy Alive
March 2016 marked the 75th Anniversary of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience – seventy-five years since their legend was created. And June of 2016 marked the 40th Anniversary of the formal founding of the Chicago Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. – forty years of preserving and promoting the Tuskegee Airmen legacy through programs for youth designed to share with them the Tuskegee Airmen model of personal and group excellence.
The Chicago Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen (CDCTAI) is an organization recognized as a leader in the field of creating aviation education opportunities for youth. Having evolved from a social club organized by WWII & Korean War veterans returning home with tales of achievement and a well-established record of overcoming adversity, these men and women then turned their attention to what they could do to help the next generation.
Roy Chappell, one of our past presidents, popularized the phrase “From these roots, we will build tomorrow”, and had this inscribed on our chapter’s logo. His predecessors, Clarence Finley, Hank Hervey, A.A. (Sammy) Rayner, Felix Kirkpatrick, Harold Hurd, Ted Moran, Earl Strayhorn, John Rogers, Sr., Quentin Smith and others, passed the baton to him. Today that responsibility belongs to us. It’s our turn to use the common denominator of our shared love for aviation and the legacy left by those pioneers, to continue to encourage youth to pursue advanced education opportunities and careers in the aerospace industry.
We believe that it is up to organizations like ours to keep the ideals of our heroes out of the realm of yesterday’s rhetoric by using innovative practices to keep the Tuskegee Airmen brand relevant, while successfully bridging generational communication gaps. Using a unique business model of long-term mentoring and messaging methods with youth, we build relationships of trust, inspire self-confidence and develop with them a shared vision of the possible.
Please Get Involved – Help us continue their legacy.
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