The Tuskegee Airmen

The story of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces begins in an unlikely place: the heart of Jim Crow country, Tuskegee Alabama.

First deployed to North Africa in 1943, and then to Italy, the Tuskegee Airmen protected American bombers from enemy fighters. Although still segregated, the unit's combat record spoke for itself, earning three Distinguished Unit Citations.