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Tuskegee Airman speaks at political rally
Tuskegee Airman, an Aquia political rally, recalls WWII battles for military equalityDate published: 9/29/2009 Col. Elmer D. Jones (Ret.) is a Tuskegee Airman, one of the pioneer black members of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Now 91, he recalls with pride his service with the segregated group that proved its ability to perform effectively in aerial combat despite military and political opposition. The colonel, a resident of Arlington and a native of Washington, spoke last week at a Veterans for Paul Ortiz rally in that independent candidate's race this fall for Aquia District supervisor. Jones' initial unit, the 99th Fighter Squadron, flew in North Africa in 1943, providing ground support for Gen. George Patton's troops, and later was part of the all-black 332nd Fighter Group, providing escort for allied bombers over Europe. In some 15,000 combat sorties, the Tuskegee Airmen shot down 111 German aircraft, sank a destroyer and lost 66 pilots. They established a reputation of not losing any bombers under their protection during missions. Jones was one of three graduates of Howard University's Primary Civilian Pilot Training program selected in the summer of 1940 for advanced flight training at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. There, nearly 1,000 black pilots, half of whom went overseas, were trained and became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Jones majored in engineering, as well as taking the flight training. As a result, Tuskegee trained him and five fellow aviation cadets to be technical officers. When the U.S entered World War II in December 1941, Jones was made a 2nd lieutenant and assigned to aircraft repair and technical supply. He went overseas with the 99th in April 1943 as the squadron's engineering officer and rose to major during the North African and European campaigns. Returning home at war's end, he earned master's degrees in electronics and in management and was assigned to postings in research and development. He retired in 1970 as a colonel. In 2007, Jones and other surviving Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, voted by Congress, for their service. "I have it home in a drawer," he said last week. Instead, he wears, on a red-white-and-blue neck ribbon, a medal given to him and his surviving colleagues during a Tuskegee Airmen ceremony in 1993.
Read more stories about Stafford Date published: 9/29/2009
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