Author will talk about the Tuskegee Airmen

Published 5:39 pm Monday, November 12, 2012

The Tuskegee Airmen, a pioneering group of the first black military aviators in the United States armed forces who fought in World War II, are the subject of a book by Daniel Haulman.

Dr. Daniel Haulman will present a book on The Tuskegee Airmen on Nov. 13 at the Chilton-Clanton Public Library at 2 p.m.

Haulman co-authored “The Tuskegee Airmen, An Illustrated History: 1939-1949” with authors Joseph Caver and Jerome Ennels, giving an account of a pioneering group of the first black military aviators in the United States armed forces and their role in WWII.

Haulman said the book is different to many other publications about the Tuskegee Airmen due to primary source documents of monthly histories of the Tuskegee Airmen units written during World War II by The Tuskegee Airmen, daily combat mission reports, 12 and 15 Air Force orders that awarded Distinguished Unit Citations to Tuskegee Airmen units or Distinguished Flying Crosses or Air Medals to Tuskegee Airmen pilots, and reports on missing air crews for fighters and bombers shot down by the enemy.

“Some of the outstanding qualities of the book are a page of statistics, a roster of the almost 1,000 pilots who trained at Tuskegee, pictures of the unit emblems, photographs of various classes of pilots and an extensive index,” Haulman said.

Haulman said the book also corrects myths that circulated about the Tuskegee Airmen such as the claim that black men lacked the ability to be good pilots in combat and the claim that the Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber they escorted through enemy aircraft fire.

“I hope the listeners attending my lecture will gain more knowledge about what the Tuskegee Airmen did and what they did not do,” Haulman said. “I hope the audience members will develop a greater appreciation of what the members of the Tuskegee Airmen accomplished during WWII.”

Library director Kelly Easterling said the lecture will feature Haulman who is the chief of organization history division air force historical research agency at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery as he presents a slideshow about the book.

“The event is open to anyone interested in U.S. history and local history,” Easterling said.

“I hope everyone will come and hear Haulman speak because it is an interesting topic that is relevant to people in Chilton County.”

Haulman said the lecture closely relates to those living in Chilton County due to the largest hangar at the Chilton County Airport being one of the three hangars that once stood at Tuskegee Army Air Field, where all of the black pilots trained.

“In the late 1940s when Tuskegee Army Air Field closed, one of the hangars went to Chilton County,” Haulman said. “The other two went to airports at Montgomery and Troy where they still stand today.”

Haulman said he is excited about the lecture and looks forward to meeting those interested in learning more about the Tuskegee Airmen.

“I am just thankful for being allowed the opportunity to share the results of my research,” Haulman said.