 1st.
Lieutenant William B. Ellis
was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He
flew with the 332nd, 301st and 99th Fighter Squadrons of the
322nd Fighter Group, 477th Fighter Wing. After the war, he
was one of the eight fighter pilots who transferred to the
477th Bomb Group, to fly the B-25.
 Lieutenant Colonel Leo R. Gray
was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
He was a replacement pilot for the 100th Fighter Squadron,
next to last class. He arrived in Ramitelli, Italy, on 14th
March 1945. 2nd Lt. Gray had a near encounter with two Me262’s
while he and two other squadron mates were escorting home
a P-38. But the jets broke off the attack when the Mustangs
dropped tanks. He has 15 missions, and flew P-40’s,
P-47’s and P-51’s in combat and retired as a Lt.
Colonel. Decorations include Air Medal with Cluster and Presidential
Unit Citation.
 Lieutenant Colonel George E. Hardy
hailed originally from Philadelphia,
Pa. During 1945 he was based at Ramitelli, Italy, with the
99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, flying the P-51
Mustang. He flew 21 combat missions. In addition, 45 combat
missions over Korea in the B-29 and 70 combat missions in
AC-119K Gunships over Vietnam. Decorations include The Air
Medal with 2 O.L.C.’s, Air Medal (Korea) with 3-7 O.L.C.’s
and DFC (Vietnam) Air Medal with 8-11 O.L.C.’s. He retired
as a Lt. Colonel.
 Lieutenant Colonel William H. Holloman
III was born in St. Louis,
Missouri. He flew P-51's with the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd
Fighter Group, during early 1945. After World War II he flew
P-47's with the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group,
and during the Korean War was a MATS pilot. On one mission
he was flying the wounded back to the States from the Far
East and Korea. He was also the first black helicopter pilot
in the Air Force. Bill Holloman later flew with Pacific Western
Airlines in Canada. He was recalled to active duty in 1966,
serving in Vietnam and later in Europe. He retired as a Lieutenant
Colonel.
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Jefferson
was born in Detroit. He graduated
from Tuskegee Army Air Field and after combat training, joined
the 'Red Tail' 332nd Fighter Group, 301st F.S. at Ramitelli,
Italy. He flew 18 long-range escort missions for B-17 and
B-24 bombers. On August 12th 1944, three days prior to the
invasion of southern France, he was shot down by ground fire
while strafing coastal radar installations. He spent the rest
of the war as a POW and was liberated by General Patton's
3rd Army. He visited Dachau concentration camp and returned
to the U.S. as an instrument instructor at Tuskegee Field.
Decorations include the Purple Heart and Air Medal. He retired
as a Lieutenant Colonel.
 Flight
Officer Charles A. Lane Jr.
was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
He attended the Harriett Beecher Stowe Teachers College, but
studies were interrupted in 1943 when he entered the forces.
He flew 26 combat missions in P-47’s and P-51’s
with The Tuskegee, in the 99th Squadron. He was in the forces
for 27 years, flying fighters, transports and the B-52. He
has The Air Medal with 3 O.L.C.’s, and retired as a
Lieutenant Colonel.
 Captain
Robert W. Lawrence was born
in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He flew with the 99th Squadron,
318th Squadron and 301st Squadron. The mission from southern
Italy to Berlin was the most memorable for him. Six hours
and 40 minutes in the cockpit of a P-51 was a long time! He
has 33 missions to his credit. Types flown were: PT-17, PT-19,
BT-13, AT-6, P-40, P-47, P-51, C-47, B-25 and C-45. Decorations
include Presidential Unit Citation, Air Medal with 2 Clusters,
Victory Medal and European Medal.
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 1st.
Lieutenant Theodore G. Lumpkin
was born in Los Angeles and
drafted at Fort McArthur in L.A. before being shipped to Tuskegee.
He served as an Intelligence Officer with the 100th Fighter
Squadron in Italy from 1943 to October 1945. Decorations include
the Victory Medal. Lt. Lumpkin retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
 1st.
Lieutenant Richard D. Macon
was born in Birmingham, Alabama.
In 1943 he became a cadet and graduated as a fighter pilot.
He then flew the P-40, P-39 and P-47. Lieutenant Macon became
a replacement pilot with the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd
Fighter Group and has 16 ½ missions to his credit.
On August 12th 1944, he was strafing ground targets over southern
France when his Mustang was hit by ground fire. It was flipped
upside down at treetop level and the right wing separated.
The next thing Lt. Macon knew, he was lying in a field and
his parachute had deployed. He learned that his plane had
crashed into a building used by the Germans as a headquarters,
killing over 40 German officers and soldiers. Lieutenant Macon’s
neck was broken and the lower part of his body was temporarily
paralyzed. Narrowly missing being shot by a firing squad,
he became a P.O.W. for over 9 months. Decorations include
The Air Medal, Presidential Citation and Purple Heart. He
retired with the rank of Captain.
 1st.
Lieutenant Robert L. Martin
was born in Dubuque, Iowa. He flew
with the 100th Fighter Squadron and has 63 ½ missions
to his credit. March 3 1945 he was shot down by ground fire
over Zagreb aerodrome (Yugoslavia) and parachuted from the
burning airplane. He was rescued by Yugoslav partisans but
was not captured by the Germans. He pent five weeks in Yugoslavia
and then returned to Italy by truck and plane. Decorations
include DFC, Purple Heart and Air Medal with 6 O.L.C.’s.
 Staff
Sergeant James A. Sheppard
is originally from New York City, New York. He enlisted in
the Air Force in October 1942 and was assigned to the Tuskegee
Army Airfield with the 332nd Fighter Group, as an Aviation
Maintenance Technician. He served with the 100th F.S. and
later with the 301st F.S. in the U.S. and in Europe as a Mechanic
and Crew Chief. James Sheppard holds the following certificates:
Aviation Mechanic, Senior Parachute Rigger and Airplane Pilot
S.E.L. He retired in 1987 from the F.A.A. where he was a Supervisory
Aviation Safety Inspector.
 1st.
Lieutenant George A. Taylor
was born in Middlesex County, Virginia.
He flew 120 combat missions in the P-39 Airacobra over Naples
Harbor and the Anzio beach-head in the 12th Air Force Tactical
Air Command. In the 15th Air Force he flew missions to southern
France, southern Germany and the Ploesti oil fields, Romania.
This was in the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. He was
with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. Decorations
include 2 Bronze Stars and the Air Medal.
 F/O
James C. Warren began
his career as one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. He enlisted
in the U.S. Army Air Forces in November 1942 and retired with
the rank of Lt. Colonel in 1978. He served in WWII in the
477th Bombardment Group (medium) and flew more than 173 combat
missions, including the Korean and Vietnam wars. Awards include
the DFC with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf
Clusters, 3 Meritorious Service Medals and Air Force Commendation
Medal. He is the author of Tuskegee Mutiny at Freeman Field.
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