Latest news with #332ndFighterGroup
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Booby-trapped village at Central Coast military base trained troops to fight Nazis
The United States was united in defeating Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers. Many local families sent their best to fight the war against the fascists. The county was small enough then that almost everyone knew someone who never came home. On April 17, 1945, my grandmother's brother, Elwyn Righetti flew his last mission over Germany, killed in action. His body is still missing. Democracy is messy and may have frayed edges, but when it was called on to meet the challenge of war in both Europe and the Pacific the United States responded with a mobilization of the whole nation for the war effort. Women worked in factories, Navajo troops spoke in a language that functioned as a code the Imperial Japanese troops could not break. On the other side of the world, Japanese-American troops in the 442 Infantry fighting Nazi forces in Italy were the most decorated unit in United States military history. The all-Black 332nd Fighter Group was one of the most effective and decorated in the Army Air Force. One could argue that diversity, now being erased from websites under the current administration, was a factor in winning the war. In addition, the military learned from mistakes. Ineffective commanders were replaced and leadership success was rewarded. Unfortunately the current administration officials have not absorbed the WWII lessons shared on posters that advised 'Loose lips sink ships' and 'Don't discuss: Troop movements, ship sailings war equipment.' A group of key cabinet members including the Vice President, National Security Advisor, Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, Director of National Intelligence, White House chief of staff, Secretary of State and more shared exactly that information in an unsecured group chat. Something present during the war that seems absent today is strong congressional oversight. While huge sums of money were being spent on the war effort, there was a temptation for grift and fraud. Senator Harry Truman rose to national prominence leading the Senate Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program. Sometimes Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration officials were called to answer even though Truman and Roosevelt were Democrats. One investigation into cost overruns at Camp San Luis revealed that unusually heavy rains had delayed construction, driving up costs. But another complaint lead to an investigation of an aircraft manufacturer Curtiss-Wright which preferred to make the obsolete but profitable P-40 rather than create or assist in producing a top flight fighter like the North American P-51 Mustang or Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. Curtiss-Wright had put a focus on quantity and not quality, profit-taking over research and development. The investigation lead to the company becoming greatly diminished after the end of the war, a time when aerospace industry as a whole was taking off like a jet. Congress needs to be an effective watchdog and not rubber stamp requests from the executive branch. The war required training that learned from past mistakes to help save lives. Today they are called IEDs or improvised explosive devices, but then they were called booby traps. In 1944, the fight in Europe lead to an ersatz Nazi village being built at Camp Roberts, just north of the county line, to train soldiers. From the May 30, 1944, Telegram-Tribune: Camp Roberts trainees will learn to discover and disarm booby traps in a model Nazi village where swastikas fly from the buildings which hide authentic mines and explosive charges. Constructed by the Field Artillery replacement raining center, the village is built of waste lumber and includes a chapel, drug store, grocery store and a beer hall (bierstube). Signs in German Displayed throughout the village are German language street signs, and large martial law proclamations in German. The purpose of the village is to demonstrate to each trainee just how cunning Nazi soldiers can be and how and where they leave mines hidden so that incautiously attacking Yanks will be killed. Lt. Warner Hutchinson, who also conducts a 12-hour anti-booby trap course, was in charge of construction and planning of the village. Hutchinson explained that 50 percent of the casualties in the European theater of operations are caused by booby traps. The course has been designed to lessen this loss. Artillerymen walking along Adolf Hitler Strasse in the village may release a percussion type trap which will detonate a nitro starch charge. Although charges are not heavy enough to injure a trainee, they do give him a scare and demonstrate just how easy it is to lose a life when moving in territory abandoned by the enemy. Variety of Traps Traps planted in the village may be detonated by trainees stepping on loose floor boards, pulling wires, sitting on unsuspected furniture or by such actions as pulling a window sash. The village, when fully completed, will have 17 buildings. Still needed is more furniture to furnish the houses and to provide places in which to plant booby traps for the unwary trainees.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
One of last surviving Tuskegee Airmen criticizes Trump's DEI purge
AURORA, Colo. — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to become the first Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace during the Korean War, and a decorated one after 126 missions. He was one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the first U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet in 1949, a forerunner of today's U.S. Navy 'Top Gun' school. Air Force reinstates course with Tuskegee Airmen video after outcry 'They said we didn't have any ability to operate aircraft or operate heavy machinery. We were inferior to the white man. We were nothing,' Harvey said. 'So we showed them.' Shortly after Trump's January inauguration, the Air Force removed new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. The removal drew bipartisan outrage and the White House's ire over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as 'malicious implementation' of Trump's executive order. The Air Force quickly reversed course. Announcing the reversal, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said in a statement that the initial removal was because the service, like other agencies, had to move swiftly to comply with Trump's executive order with 'no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging.' The videos were shown to troops as part of DEI courses taken during basic military training. Some photos of Tuskegee Airmen were also among tens of thousands of images in a Pentagon database flagged for removal. 'I thought there was progress in that area, but evidently there isn't,' said Harvey, who blamed Trump for contributing to what he sees as worsening prejudice in the U.S. 'I'll tell him to his face. No problem,' he said. 'I'll tell him, 'You're a racist,' and see what he has to say about that. What can they do to me? Just kill me, that's all.' The Tuskegee Airmen unit was established in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron based at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th became the 332nd Fighter Group, which by the war's end destroyed or damaged more than 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe during the war and sank a German destroyer in action. Of the 992 Tuskegee Airmen trained as pilots starting in 1942, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action and 32 who were shot down became war prisoners. In 1949, two months after the airmen's gunnery meet victory in the propeller-driven class, the U.S. Air Force integrated Black and white troops and the Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units. It took the Air Force almost half a century to recognize 332nd's last achievement: Its success in aerial bombing and shooting proficiency in the gunnery meet at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. For decades, the winners were listed as 'unknown' and their trophy was missing. 'We won them all,' Harvey said. 'We weren't supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin.' Harvey trained during World War II but was not deployed to combat before the war ended. In Korea, he flew the F-80 Shooting Star jet fighter and earned medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965 and received an honorary promotion to colonel in 2023. Trump in 2020 promoted another of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee died in 2022 at age 102. Harvey still regards the Air Force Gunnery Meet as his biggest accomplishment, one the Air Force finally recognized in 1993. Their missing trophy was found in a museum storeroom not long after. 'We were good, and they couldn't take it away from us,' Harvey said. 'We were good. And I'll repeat it until I die.'
Los Angeles Times
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Tuskegee Airman remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump's DEI purge
AURORA, Colo. — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit dying at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to become the first Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace during the Korean War, and a decorated one after 126 missions. He was one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the first U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet in 1949, a forerunner of today's U.S. Navy 'Top Gun' school. 'They said we didn't have any ability to operate aircraft or operate heavy machinery. We were inferior to the white man. We were nothing,' Harvey said. 'So we showed them.' Shortly after Trump's January inauguration, the Air Force removed new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. The removal drew bipartisan outrage and the White House's ire over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as 'malicious implementation' of Trump's executive order. The Air Force quickly reversed course. Announcing the reversal, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said in a statement that the initial removal was because the service, like other agencies, had to move swiftly to comply with Trump's executive order with 'no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging.' The videos were shown to troops as part of DEI courses taken during basic military training. Some photos of Tuskegee Airmen were also among tens of thousands of images in a Pentagon database flagged for removal. 'I thought there was progress in that area, but evidently there isn't,' said Harvey, who blamed Trump for contributing to what he sees as worsening prejudice in the U.S. 'I'll tell him to his face. No problem,' he said. 'I'll tell him, 'You're a racist,' and see what he has to say about that. What can they do to me? Just kill me, that's all.' The Tuskegee Airmen unit was established in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron based at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th became the 332nd Fighter Group, which by war's end destroyed or damaged more than 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe during the war and sank a German destroyer in action. Of the 992 Tuskegee Airmen trained as pilots starting in 1942, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action and 32 who were shot down became war prisoners. In 1949, two months after the airmen's gunnery meet victory in the propeller-driven class, the U.S. Air Force integrated Black and white troops and the Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units. It took the Air Force almost half a century to recognize 332nd's last achievement: its success in aerial bombing and shooting proficiency in the gunnery meet at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. For decades, the winners were listed as 'unknown' and their trophy was missing. 'We won them all,' Harvey said. 'We weren't supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin.' Harvey trained during World War II but was not deployed to combat before the war ended. In Korea, he flew the F-80 Shooting Star jet fighter and earned medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965 and received an honorary promotion to colonel in 2023. Trump in 2020 promoted another of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee died in 2022 at age 102. Harvey still regards the Air Force Gunnery Meet as his biggest accomplishment, one the Air Force finally recognized in 1993. Their missing trophy was found in a museum storeroom not long after. 'We were good, and they couldn't take it away from us,' Harvey said. 'We were good. And I'll repeat it until I die.' Gruver and Peipert write for the Associated Press.
Washington Post
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump's DEI purge
AURORA, Colo. — With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after.
The Independent
23-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen remembers struggle for recognition amid Trump's DEI purge
With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Col. James H. Harvey III, 101, is among the last few airmen and support crew who proved that a Black unit — the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen — could fight as well as any other in World War II and the years after. He went on to become the first Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace during the Korean War, and a decorated one after 126 missions. He was one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the first U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet in 1949, a forerunner of today's U.S. Navy 'Top Gun' school. 'They said we didn't have any ability to operate aircraft or operate heavy machinery. We were inferior to the white man. We were nothing,' Harvey said. 'So we showed them.' Shortly after Trump's January inauguration, the Air Force removed new recruit training courses that included videos of the Tuskegee Airmen. The removal drew bipartisan outrage and the White House's ire over what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as 'malicious implementation' of Trump's executive order. The Air Force quickly reversed course. Announcing the reversal, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin said in a statement that the initial removal was because the service, like other agencies, had to move swiftly to comply with Trump's executive order with 'no equivocation, no slow-rolling, no foot-dragging.' The videos were shown to troops as part of DEI courses taken during basic military training. Some photos of Tuskegee Airmen were also among tens of thousands of images in a Pentagon database flagged for removal. 'I thought there was progress in that area, but evidently there isn't," said Harvey, who blamed Trump for contributing to what he sees as worsening prejudice in the U.S. 'I'll tell him to his face. No problem," he said. 'I'll tell him, 'You're a racist,' and see what he has to say about that. What can they do to me? Just kill me, that's all.' The Tuskegee Airmen unit was established in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron based at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The 99th became the 332nd Fighter Group, which by war's end destroyed or damaged more than 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe during the war and sank a German destroyer in action. Of the 992 Tuskegee Airmen trained as pilots starting in 1942, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action and 32 who were shot down became war prisoners. In 1949, two months after the airmen's gunnery meet victory in the propeller-driven class, the U.S. Air Force integrated Black and white troops and the Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units. It took the Air Force almost half a century to recognize 332nd's last achievement: Its success in aerial bombing and shooting proficiency in the gunnery meet at what is now Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. For decades, the winners were listed as 'unknown' and their trophy was missing. 'We won them all,' Harvey said. 'We weren't supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin.' Harvey trained during World War II but was not deployed to combat before the war ended. In Korea, he flew the F-80 Shooting Star jet fighter and earned medals including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1965 and received an honorary promotion to colonel in 2023. Trump in 2020 promoted another of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee died in 2022 at age 102. Harvey still regards the Air Force Gunnery Meet as his biggest accomplishment, one the Air Force finally recognized in 1993. Their missing trophy was found in a museum storeroom not long after. 'We were good, and they couldn't take it away from us,' Harvey said. 'We were good. And I'll repeat it until I die.'
