Joseph L. Merton, Jr.
Joseph L. Merton, Jr. October 23, 1923 – April 28, 1995 Class: 44-C-SE Graduation date: 3/12/1944 Rank at time of graduation: 2nd Lt. Unit: 332nd
Take a closer look at the lives and accomplishments of some of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. New profiles are added regularly and will grow as the staff and volunteer of the CAF Red Tail Squadron continue their tireless efforts to research and share the remarkable stories of these important American figures.
*NOTE: The term “Tuskegee Airmen” is not an official USAF definition, but was invented by Charles Francis when he wrote his 1955 book with that title, the USAF does not define the term, and does not determine who is or is not a Tuskegee Airman.
Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated (TAI) defines a Tuskegee Airman as anyone involved in the Tuskegee Airmen experience, who belonged to their units or who were assigned to the installations where their units were assigned, whether those personnel were black or white, male or female. By the TAI definition, the nurses at Tuskegee Army Air Field would be both Tuskegee nurses and Tuskegee Airmen who happened to be nurses.
William Handy Accoo
William Handy Accoo October 14, 1914 – August 27, 2008 William Accoo was drafted into the service in 1942 and fought with distinction for the
John H. Adams Jr.
Class 45-B-SE 4/15/1945 2nd Lt. 0842588 Kansas City, KS 1920 – DOD Unit: 332nd Fighter Group In 2016 John Adams Jr., then 97 years old,
Charity Adams Earley
First black officer of the Women Army Auxiliary Corps Charity Adams Earley (1918–2002) was the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women’s Army
Paul Adams
Class 43-D-SE 4/29/1943 2nd Lt. 0801160 Greenville, SC August 10, 1920 – July 8, 2013 Unit: 302nd Fighter Squadron,332nd Fighter Group Born in Greenville, S.C.,
Rutherford H. Adkins
Class 44-I-1-SE 10/16/1944 2nd Lt. 0838152 Alexandria, VA November 21, 1924– February 6,1998 Unit: 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group Affectionately known as
Judge Albert Jr.
MSgt Judge Albert Jr. July 22, 1927 – March 20, 2015 When Judge Albert Jr. joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1945, it
Harvey Reginald Alexander
Class 44-D-TE 4/15/1944 2nd Lt. 0828041 Georgetown, IL April 13, 1921 – August 16, 2013 Unit: 617th Squadron, 477th Bombardment Group Medium “We had to
Halbert Leo Alexander
Halbert Leo Alexander June 12 1922 – March 25, 1953 Class: 44-I-SE Graduation date: 11/20/1944 Rank at time of graduation: 2nd Lt. Unit: 99th Fighter
Walter G. Alexander, II
Walter Gilbert Alexander, II 1922- 2009 Class: 45-D-SE Graduation Date: 6/27/1945 Service #: 0842999 Walter Gilbert Alexander II was born in 1922 in Petersburg, Virginia.
Clarence W. Allen
2nd Lt. Clarence W. Allen 1919 – July 29, 1970 Class: 43-C-SE Graduation Date: 3/25/1943 Unit: 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron Service # 0798941
John E. Allen
MSGT John Edward Allen July 23, 1929 – July 30, 2013 A resident of New Mexico after retiring, Mr. Allen was drafted into the Army
William N. Alsbrook
2nd Lt. William Noel Alsbrook January 31, 1916-January 5, 1998 Class: 43-I-SE Graduation Date: 10/1/1943 Unit: 99th Fighter Squadron Service # 0814188 Visit our Virtual
Charles Alfred Anderson, Sr.
February 9, 1907 – April 13, 1996 Charles Alfred Anderson, Sr., was an American aviator who is known as the Father of Black Aviation. He
Major L. Anderson, II
Major L. Anderson, II Major L. Anderson II was born March 5, 1925 in Jacksonville, Florida and graduated high school with the class of 1942.
Fred Archer
July 20, 1921 – September 1988 There are so many unsung heroes in the world, and there are so many people in the world that
Lee Andrew Archer, Jr.
Class 43-G-SE 7/28/1943 2nd Lt. 0809236 New York, NY Unit: 302nd Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group September 6, 1919 – January 27, 2010 Tuskegee Airmen
Rudolph “Val” Archer
Rudolph “Val” Archer April 13, 1929- October 3, 2020 332nd Fighter Group and 100th Fighter Squadron Archer first tried to join the U.S. Navy and
William P. Armstrong
Class 44-H-SE 9/8/1944 Flt. Officer T66139 Providence, RI Oct. 30, 1924 – April 1, 1945 Unit: 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group Virtual
Robert Ashby
Class 45-H-TE 11/20/1945 2nd Lt. 0843351 Jersey City, NJ July 17, 1926 – March 5, 2021 Unit: Trained to fly B-25 bomber as part of
Willie Ashley, Jr.
Willie Ashley, Jr. May 23, 1921 – February 9, 1984 Class Number: 42-F-SE Graduation Date: 7/3/1942 Rank Held at Tuskegee: 2nd Lt. Serial Number: 0789641 Hometown: Sumter, South Carolina Ashley graduated
Ludovic F. Audant
Sergeant/Lieutenant Ludovic F. Audant October 12, 1911 – September 23, 1974 Class: 44-B-SE Graduation date: 2/8/1944 Unit: 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group
Charles Phillip Bailey, Sr.
Class 43-D-SE 4/29/1943 2nd Lt. 0801161 Punta Gorda, FLNovember 25, 1918 – April 1, 2001Unit: 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter GroupAwards: Air Medal
Terry C. Bailey
Flight Officer Class 45-C-SE 5/23/1945 Flt. Officer T69972 Richmond, VA November 1, 1925 – October 4, 2019 Before 1940, Black people were barred from flying
Reginald Ballard, Sr.
Reginald Ballard, Sr. November 21, 1924 – June 30, 2021 Rank at time of graduation: Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) Unit: 477th Bombardment Group Reginald Ballard
Alfred Steward Barclay
Alfred Steward Barclay was born on January 15, 1924 in Newport, Rhode Island. He was a member of 45 D Class Contract Pilot School, Tuskegee
Gentry Eugene Barnes
Class 44-D-SE 4/15/1944 2nd Lt. 0828045 Lawrenceville, IL Unit: 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group Virtual Museum post of 1942 Gentry Eugene Barnes
Della J. Bassette
Mencie Trotter, Class of 1940 and future instructor at the school, Louise Lomax, Class of 1942, and Della Bassette, Class of 1941, were three of
LeRoy A. “Boots” Battle, Sr.
LeRoy A. “Boots” Battle, Sr. December 31, 1921 – March 27, 2015 Unit 616th Squadron of the 477th Bombardment Group Battle was born in Harlem to Walter Battle
Howard Lee Baugh
2nd Lt. Howard Lee Baugh January 20, 1920 – August 23, 2008 Class: 42-J-SE Graduation Date: 11/10/1942 Unit: 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter
Harvey A Bayless
Harvey A Bayless January 10, 1924 – April 6, 2014 Served in the U. S. Army Air Corps 96th Service Group & 523rd Air Service
Harold J. Beaulieu
Harold J. Beaulieu Unit: 617th and 619th Bomb Squadrons of the 477th Composite Group as a Photography Laboratory Technician (945). Beaulieu ran the photography lab at
Naomi Bernice Bell
Naomi Bernice Bell was born September 27, 1921 in Sandersville, Georgia. She was the daughter of Arthur and Mamie Hayles Bell. She was in the
Rual W. Bell
2nd Lt Rual W. Bell Class: 44-D-SE Graduation Date: 4/15/1944 Unit: 332th Fighter Group, 100th Fighter Squadron Service # T62809 Excerpts from The Tuskegee Airmen,
Douglas Bembry
Douglas Bembry January 3, 1924- January 5, 2017 Douglas Bembry from Indianapolis was a member of this revered group. Bembry died in 2017 at the
Joseph B. Bennett
Cpt Joseph Bruce Bennett December 18, 1927 – January 13, 2021 Class: 45-I-SE Graduation Date: 1/29/1946 Service # 02102013 Joseph was born on December 18,
William Bennett
William Bennett 1921-2011 In 2007, William “Bucko’’ Bennett was among a cadre of then unsung airmen called to Washington, where President George W. Bush was
Hardy G. Bennett
Hardy Grant Bennett August 6, 1921 – May 10, 2006 Class: 45-F Bennett G. Hardy was born 6 August 1921 in Kokomo, Indiana to the
William V. Bibb
William Vinson Bibb May 6, 1926 – February 5, 1955 Class: 45-H-TE Graduation Date: 11/20/1945 Unit: 477th Bombardment Group Service # 0843352 Captain William Vinson
George W. Biggs
Major George W. Biggs July 2, 1925 – Sept. 19, 2020 Unit: 477th Bombardment Group Born George Washington Biggs in Nogales, Arizona, on July 2,