TUSKEGEE AIRMEN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
African-Americans, Native Americans, Caribbean Islanders, Latinos and other men and women of mixed racial heritage were tested and trained to see if they could fill positions as pilots, technicians, radio operators, parachute riggers, control tower operators and more during WWII. The women of the Tuskegee Experience worked side-by-side with their male counterparts as mechanics, gate guards, control tower operators, did aircraft body work, secretaries, and clerks. Before 1940, African Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Established on November 6, 1998 in Tuskegee, Alabama, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site is dedicated to the African-American airmen and their contribution to WWII. There are both inside and outside activities including ranger programs, museum exhibits, a movie, gift shop, and a walk through over 20 wayside exhibits. The park is about 50 miles east of Montgomery.
For more information call (334) 724-0922 or visit www.NPS.gov/tuai.
