Piece Comment

Review of New Doubts About Tuskegee Airmen's Perfect Record


This is one of those stories that takes some courage to tell. It's never easy to dispel a myth, particularly one that helps to heal over an ugly scare of our history that many wish would simply fade away. The racism that segregated our armed forces during the second world war is a national tragedy. The gallant performance of the Tuskegee Airmen belied the widely held believe that African American fliers could never pilot a plane as well as their white counterparts. The mythology behind their perfect record in the European theater elevated these men to the status of legends and today testifies to the valuable contributions all people can make in the service of their country.
But should it shown that the record is in error, it is the duty of journalists to reveal that evidence and inform of the public. As Tanya Ott said in her piece the loss of a few escorted bombers does not detract from the Tuskegee Airmen?s accomplishments. To know that they were indeed not perfect may better inspire a new generation to aspire and achieve at least that which is possible.