Tour guide at the u. S. Capitol. About it formerly a proud paratrooper in the 82nd airborne division. Im from north carolina, so were exceptionally proud of the 82nd and their actions over at fort bragg. We like to tell people we are the most militaryfriendly state in the nation and we work really hard to live up to that. But so without any further ado, mr. Jackson, youre on. Thank you very much. [ applause ] thank you, and good morning. Welcome to the william g. Mcallen theater. And were here to salute american icons, the Tuskegee Airmen. Please allow me to briefly introduce the panel, and then well come back and hear from our panelists and then well ask the field to give questions. I may recite the question a time or two just for clarity. Lets first begin with the person closest to me. With the blue cap. Lieutenant colonel robert friend. Next to him Lieutenant Colonel harold brown. Lieutenant colonel george hardy. Lieutenant colonel alexander jefferson. Lieutenant colonel james h. Harvey iii. And our closer, Lieutenant ColonelHarry Stewart. Lets first begin with Lieutenant Colonel robert friend. He was born in columbia, south carolina. His father thought in world war i. So what well do is colonel friend, sir, well yield the floor to you and then well ask our friends in the audience to give you questions. So lets have a round of applause for our first panelist. [ applause ] mr. Friend. So colonel friend, just give us just some brief history about you and your accounts in the military and then well well, i was always interested in flying. And no chances were offered me. For instance, i had a pilots license in the late 30s because i was a part of a program the United States was doing in defense potential defense of itself. And i was to train people to fly airplanes as they were doing in europe. And so when it was time to go to tuskegee i was more than prepared. And i enjoyed it very much. The one thing that i would like to clarify from my personal standpoint, everybody says tuskegee, the place where they trained the africanamericans. Thats the wrong way i think to look at it. The right way to look at it is that was the place where they trained people who were not white. You could be anything else. And so i went through the program and went through three wars and feel very, very fortunate to be able to be here to speak to you people and to let you know how we felt. Thank you. Thank you. [ applause ] would anyone like to ask a question of colonel friend . If so, please stand. I would like to make note given the bio you that see on the screen and for our audience that may be streaming, if i may, a veteran of 142 combat missions with the Tuskegee Airmen and wingman to the units leader and the first africanamerican general in the air force benjamin o. Davis jr. There are few in the audience that will remember 1940 our burr guests do. Lets return to our next guest. Colonel brown, you would give us a brief history of some of your events in the military please, sir . Certainly. I was born in minnesota. When i was in the sixth grade and i was 11 years old and i woke up and guess what . I was going to become a military fighter pilot. Well, at the mention of that, my mother who looked at me, isnt it strange how your mother can look at you and say he has all this wonderful talent, when i had no talent whatsoever, but they could see things that no one else could see. So i set on that piano stool for the first ten years of my life or so. And then in the sixth grade, 11 years old i decided i was going to become a military pilot. Dont ask me how, why, i dont remember seeing a movie about it. But one night i woke up and i was bit. So from that point on it was model airplanes and every book i can fly. I remember one book in particular, texas, west point of the air. And i bet i read that book so many times i almost had it memorized. So when i was 16 years old i was a soldier and i managed to save up 35. I had my uncle take me out and i went up to a fixed base operator and said, hey, i want to take flying lessons. And they said, sure, that will get you five. Well, i got to five you know what they look like well, i dont know if you do. You dont see j3s often. No more money and no more flying lessons. And of course in 1941 we know the war started. But keep in mind during back in those days after president roosevelt decided to train those guys back in march of 1941, the first class started in july of 1941, they wanted people to have some college experience. But it didnt take long before they had just about wiped out all the other guys of college experience. And they said, hey, well open it for you high school kids. If you can pass the physical, the mental exam, and well take you in. So at 17 years of age, i graduated from high school, june42 i gebebopping down to the recruitment station and said i want to signup. Sat for the exam, scored reasonably high, and i said hey im on my way. And they said no, no, not yet. Everyone else and im the only guy looking like this sitting there and theres about 100 other guys, they were all sworn into the reserve and they were obviously protected from the draft. But my paperwork had to go to washington, d. C. So i sat there sweating after i turned 18. The draft is going to get me before i get my chance to go fly. Of course in december i was selected and i finally wound up in the military, graduating class of 1944. 19 years old, the hottest thing that ever said good morning to an airplane. But that was also a joke. Do you know why they send young guys off to fight wars, how the old general kind of sit there and select all you young guys off to fight the war, you know why they do that . You guys are invincible, arent you . You guys will live forever. Nothing bad will ever happen to you. But guess what, one day you, too, will also sweat it out. But i can go on and keep yakking and yakking and i dont want to take up too much time, so does anyone have any questions . Now, come on, you guys rotc, youve got 10,000 questions so give me one. One question. The gentleman to the left. What is it . From west point. Given that you lacked talent, what talent did you wish you had when you were shot down over Enemy Territory . Well, i wish i had a pair of wings to fly to be honest with you. But unfortunately that was not the case. But let me tell you just a little bit about that. One of the biggest hazards of flying missions were if you were ever hit you were always briefed to get out of the target area and rightly so. There were a bunch of people down there, but shrapnel and stuff flying all over the place. So all of a sudden you get hit, youre in your chute, can you imagine what those guys are thinking about after you just wiped out some guys brother, the other guys wife, and here you come floating down in a parachute. Those are some very angry people, and rightly so. And to follow that up just a little bit, two more minutes is all ill take, i was shot down on my 30th mission im just giving you a rough time down here. I was shot down on my 30th mission and one of the unfortunate things, i did not get out of the target area. I was picked up almost immediately, brought back to a Little Village and i was met by 35 of the most angriest people. Now here i was 20 years old, looking like this, no business being up in germany and i got a mob of 35 or so people looking at me, and they wanted a piece of me. Fortunately there was a good person in the crowd, a constable that came up with his rifle and prevented them from taking my life. But for a very short while those first 35 minutes or so i was frightened to death. There wasnt a doubt in my mind i was going to die. I couldnt run, i couldnt hide, i couldnt do anything. As a matter of fact, i think i was talking to myself for a while. What are you doing to do . I dont know what im going to do. Well, think of something, harold. That was the most frightening thing that ever happened to me because i was looking death straight in the eye. And at 20 years old, i had a whole lot of living to do. But from that point on pow camp, that was actually a safe haven really. And ill just cut it off there. I could go on and tell you 10,000 stories, but i think you get the picture. Thanks, sir. Thank you. For those who did not hear the exchange when he said he was shot down on his 30th mission, colonel james said welcome to the club. Our next panelist is Lieutenant Colonel george hardy from philadelphia, pennsylvania. I dont know if hes a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles or not. Yeah, i was born and raised in philadelphia and graduated from high school in 1942. I turned 17 that same month so i had to wait a year to get into the service. But in march of 43 i took the exam. And in july of 43 went to flying school in december, and graduated september 44. After additional training i ended up going overseas, 19 years old, i had my rolls royce, but i came back after the war and i got out in 46 and went to nyu for a year and recalled 48. 48 is when racial integration started, at least the air force informed september 1947, seven months later the air force said they were going to integrate racially and truman signed the executive order in july. I went back in school, became a maintenance officer in electronics. Well in 94 i graduated. Racial integration had taken place in the air force, and i was assigned to the 19th bomb group on qualm. B29 outfit. When the grand war started we flew over korea. The First Mission on the 30th of june 1950 we were in the war. But there were still racial problems in those days. In may of 1950 i got a new Squadron Commander who wouldnt speak to me except in the line of duty because he didnt believe in racial integration. And when we went up to okinawa and started flying at the last minute he pulled me off the airplane and replaced me. He didnt want me flying in his outfit. That was the first b49 shot down over north korea. One crew was in it, and i didnt go down with them. But anyway, i survived that period and ended up flying i got a new Squadron Commander after that. A new commander put me back on flying status so i ended up flying 450 missions of b29s over korea. Came back to the United States. And i say i grew up in the service because from limestone i went to the institute of technology for two years and got a b. S. In electrical engineering. From there i went to japan, maintenance supervisor, Army ElectronicMaintenance Squadron third bomb wing. From there i went to new york, ended up as major squadron, Army Electronics Maintenance Squadron, and my Wing Commander was that same officer who pulled me off the airplane in okinawa. I was with him for three years up there. And it was the best three years of my career under him the second time. I loved working for him the second time. I love to see people change and whatnot. But i would stay with him forever but the institute of technology let me know theres a new program they wanted to put into effect. They wanted to do it right away and they didnt have time to as advertise for it and they went back to prior graduates and my name came up. Went there for 16 months and ended up with a masters in systems engineering. Reliability was a new field they came out and i ended up with a masters in that. So i grew up in the service. From there i got a job from the air force base and i made Lieutenant Colonel up there. And for 3 1 2 years i was chief of engineering and programming, 3 1 2 years i was chief of engineering and Program Manager for that. The first switches cut over in june of 1969. But id been up in for 5 1 2 years. And they prepared a new gun ship, 119k. They made a gun ship out of it. It was a two car airplane that carried 42 paratroopers that let them out two at a time. But they made a gun ship out of it in vietnam. And they looked for pilots that had flown that airplane. I had hundreds of hours in a 119 and i was called to active duty as a pilot and ended up going to vietnam in 1970. As a Lieutenant Colonel all the airplanes were at Foreign Operating locations. You go to thailand. I trained with a crew, but when i went overseas they took the crew away from me. I ended up flying 70 combat missions in korea. I came back and retired in 1971. Anyway i say i grew up and was educated in the service. Someone was looking out over me. I never had to bail out of an airplane, and so as i say i was in someones good graces and i thank god for that. Anyway, thats just the sum total of my career. But the thing is when i retired because of my degrees i retired on a friday, and on monday they made me a job offer and i worked for them for 18 years. And i had the best of everything as far as service and im grateful for that. If we have questions for colonel harding, will someone stand . Well bring a microphone to you. Okay, all the way up. Just a second. Yes, maam . Good day, gentlemen. Im the assistant director and Veterans Affair at florida a m university. In your age now, how do you stay so sharp and so witty. What is that question again . How do you stay so touche, indeed. How do you stay so sharp and witty. I think thats for the entire panel. Im 93. I know how hard it is to get around and do things like that. Age catches up with everyone, and its catching up with us, too. Slowly but surely. Yeah, right. Any other questions . I have one for colonel harding. I mean if we could be reflective for a moment from world war ii to korea to the cuban missile crisis to vietnam, your experiences leading up to vietnam, how did they help you, sir . Well, the thing is when i looked back to this thing with vietnam i was able to adapt to everything. But the thing is when i look at the totality of my career in world war ii they would never have anyone of african ancestry over a caucasian, but then at the end of my career in vietnam i was a commander, and all of my pilots were white. So it shows that evolution, how things went in the service. And i still meet with those guys there, still have reunions some of them. But i was 45 then, theyre all at least 20 years younger than me, but i get along with them very well. Thank you. Yes. Absolutely. Please. Welldone. Well done. Our fourth panelest is Lieutenant Commander alexander jefferson. His grabbed grandfather is one of the Founding Fathers at moorehouse university. His favorite place to vacation is in hawaii, so hopefully hell tell us what he likes to do in hawaii. So colonel jefferson lets yield the floor to you, sir. Tell us a bit of history of yourself and armed forces. Someone asked why the hell did you go to the army . I remember 1941 world war ii was kicking out. I graduated from Clark College in june 42. The draft was so the first thing i did was went down to the Federal Building and joined. I thought they were going to send me to tuskegee, put me on a list. Took me almost nine months before they called me. Remember now im a graduate, im a Clark College graduate, and im in the last class going to tuskegee of college blacks or College Graduates because the army, navy, marines were grabbing black men with college degrees. The classes after me went through three months of College Training detachment. I graduated in january 44. From tuskegee as a second lieutenant, we were sent to air force base, flied a p39 because the three sections of the three squadrons were the 301, the 302, and the 99th. These three squadrons of blacks were flying p39s up and down the shores outside of italy. And my class, we were supposed to be replacements for them. And we were trained in p39s at the air forts base until Something Like the march of 44, we had a two star general come drop everything youre doing and get your behind into post theater. We were there, black and white officers mixing trying to find out what the hells going on. Snob nobody knows. What the hell is going on. All of a sudden someone said attention, and we hopped to down the aisle stood the two star general. Were looking at each other saying what the hells going on, i dont know. He rambled on and on and on for about four, five, ten minutes and these are the words i remember. Quote, gentlemen, this is my airfield. As long as im in command therell be no socialization between white and colored officers. Holy jumping crap. Weve been trying to get into the officers club, and he said hell no. That was thursday. Saturday morning theyve put us on a train and three days later we ended up in south carolina. We were the first class to be shipped over to join the 332nd fighter group. I went into the 301st Fighter Squadron, and i flew 18 and 1 1 2 missions. My 18th mission im escorting the p 17 b 24s from italy to france. The 19th mission was a strafing mission, first time we came in and strafe, and id been in the 301st. Out of the 16 airplanes four, red, white, yellow, blue. I think, i cant remember anyway im blue, were over here. Were strafing too long, Southern France, radar stations. We did not know that the invasion of Southern France came off on august 15th. Our job was to knock off the radar stations, which controlled the guns firing out to sea. Well, we went in, first flight, second flight, third flight, fourth flight. And out of the fourth flight, whos the last guy to go across the target . Me. You look up ahead and you see all of this stuff coming back at you. I went right across the top of the target and something said boom, i said whats the hell is going on . Fire came up out of the floor. So i had to bail out. And here we are doing we were doing about 400 miles an hour because wed pushed everything to the wall. So i said to myself remember now out of ten months nine months of training not one minute on how to bail out. So you rise to the occasion. Pull back on a stick, get some goddamn altitude, and as you go up you reach down on the left side, theres a little wheel that you rotate for nose down. As you tur