At the beginning of WWII, all branches of the military were racially divided.  In 1941, the U.S. Army established a segregated training program for African American pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama, called “The Tuskegee Experiment.”  The dedicated young men who volunteered to become the USA’s first black military airmen would be known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

Although the Tuskegee pilots flew four types of airplanes, the most famous was the P-51 Mustang. It was the fastest fighter airplane at the time and was perfect for guarding bombers on escort missions into enemy territory. To make their airplanes easy to see in the sky, the Tuskegee pilots painted the airplane's tail bright red, earning them the nickname of “Redtails.”

African Americans fought a war on two fronts in World War II: against fascism abroad and against white supremacy at home.  In 1945, the 477th Bombardment Group was assigned to Freeman Field in Indiana, where segregationist policies were increasing tension between white and black personnel.

Eatonton’s own Hiram E. Little, (1919-2017), was one of the young men who enlisted in the Tuskegee Aviation Program. He trained as an aircraft armorer, became a ground crew instructor, and was promoted to Flight Officer. In 1944, he was assigned to the 477th Bombardment Group as a B-25 bomber crewmember. In 1945, Little was also one of 101 Tuskegee Airmen who refused to obey an order barring black aviators from the officers’ club, a refusal that became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny.

The Tuskegee Airmen, along with other African American military men and women, laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement. They led President Harry Truman to integrate the military in 1948, helping bring about the desegregation of the United States Armed Forces.

On March 29, 2007, President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to each Tuskegee Airman or to his family.

Be sure to visit our events page for more information on two FREE exhibits that celebrate and honor the Tuskegee Airmen. These exhibits will be on display from November 2020 - January 2021.