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OUR VIEW Tuskegee Airmen accomplishments not diminished EDITORIAL Guy Rhodes, Associate Publisher/Editor Tuskegee Airmen are understandingly upset with two historians who say the claim that the Airmen never lost a bomber they were escorting to enemy aircraft during World War II is a myth. America's first black fighter pilots who trained in Tuskegee have been internationally recognized not only for their skills as pilots as well as their impact in the successful integration of the armed forces. Daniel Haulman of Montgomery and William Holton of Columbia, Md. are the ones who released documents indicating several U.S. bombers were downed by German planes while being escorted by Tuskegee Airmen pilots. Haulman, who is white, and Holton, who is black, say the number of bombers lost is unclear, but they are certain a number were lost. Surviving Airmen, including Lt. Col. Howard E. Carter of Tuskegee, disputes the claims of Haulman and Holton. In fact, Carter is quite angry about the revelations. Col. Carter said he "puts no value on his research at all," when speaking of Holton in the Montgomery Advertiser article that appeared in the Sunday, Dec. 11 issue of the newspaper. "What makes him an authority 60 years later? He wasn't involved. He's a pushy person." Col. Carter admitted he can't argue with documents, but "I stand by the record that has been presented all these years." Holton said he has had information for years that disputes the Tuskegee Airmen's perfect record as bomber escorts. Holton relates that he went public with the information in order to set the record straight, adding that in no way does his assertion diminish the accomplishments of the Tuskegee Airmen. "The admirable record of the Tuskegee Airmen needs no myth to bolster it," Holton stated in his report. "The Tuskegee Airmen proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that African Americans were capable of flying the best of the Allied fighters. They earned an indelible place in the history of the country and the world." Holton further stated there has been no intentional effort to enhance the Tuskegee airmen's image with the assertion that no bombers were lost while under their escort. He said that speakers and literature about the Tuskegee Airmen parrot information from past speakers. As upsetting as it may be to Tuskegee Airmen such as Col. Carter when assessing Holton's claims, the revelations if true don't diminish accomplishments of the Airmen. The fact that Holton is the national historian of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., puts the historian in an awkward position of protecting the legacy of the Airmen while at the same time revealing what he believes to be the truth. Retired Gen. Russell Davis, a native of Tuskegee and president of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., said he plans to drop reference to having no losses of bombers by the Airmen from his remarks until "this thing is clarified. We've got some homework to do, obviously." One point that is clear--even if there were a handful of losses of bombers escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen, the number of losses "would be so miniscule compared to the losses incurred by white pilots who also escorted bombers," said Alan Gropman, an author who teaches at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. We agree. The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen will not be diminished in the least by these "revelations." Just ask the bomber pilots who through the years have sought out the Tuskegee Airmen to thank them for their service on behalf of the pilots. That's all that needs to be said about the matter. |