B H This Day in Black History

January 16

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January 16, 1941

Tuskegee Airmen Activated

On January 16, 1941, the U.S. War Department activated the 99th Pursuit Squadron at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. This marked the beginning of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces, who would go on to distinguish themselves in World War II.

militaryaviationworld_war_ii
People: Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
Sources
1. The Tuskegee Airmen - History.com2. Tuskegee Airmen - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum3. Tuskegee Airmen - National Park Service

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