[Davis Democrats] Tuskegee Airmen Share Story -from James Harris, Dixon-elected rep from AD8 on State Dem Central Committee

[John Chendo]

  Posted Online: Posted online: November 16, 2007 8:13 PM
Print publication date: 11/17/2007
Tuskegee Airmen share story of perseverance
Comment on this story
<http://qconline.com/archives/qco/print_display.php?id=362972#comments>
By Dawn Neuses, dneuses at qconline.com
  
<http://photos.qconline.com/photog/vgallery.cgi?prcss=view_pic&dir=11-11
-07_11-17-07/11-16-07/airmen16&picnm=airmen16_06a.jpg> More photos from
this shoot 
<http://photos.qconline.com/photog/vgallery.cgi?prcss=more_pics&dir=11-1
1-07_11-17-07/11-16-07/airmen16>
Photo: Paul Colletti
Beverly Dunjill and Quentien Smith, two of the Tuskegee Airmen, watch a
video about their squadron with students at J.B. Young in Davenport. Mr.
Dunjill was a fighter pilot and Mr. Smith was a bomber pilot.

DAVENPORT -- They didn't lecture. Instead, the two men who fought for the
country's freedoms during a time of discrimination and segregation quietly
told their stories to hundreds of students Friday, opening their lives to be
examples of perseverance.

Beverly L. Dunjill and Quentin Smith, of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, gave a
presentation about their experiences Friday morning at J.B. Young
Intermediate School.

The Tuskegee Airmen, so named because they trained at Tuskegee Army Air
Field in Tuskegee, Ala., were the first black aviators in the segregated
Army of World War II.

At the time of their training, many thought blacks lacked the skill and
intellegence to be airmen. Once trained, the airmen joined segregated units
that served with distinction.

On March 29, 2007, Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the
surviving Tuskegee Airmen. It is the highest civilian honor the nation can
bestow. 

Mr. Dunjill entered training as the war was ending, but flew 100 combat
missions as a jet fighter pilot in the 334 Fighter Squadron and the 4th
Fighter Group during the Korean War. He told the students that he has flown
almost his entire life. He began when he was 16 -- at that time, not legally
old enough to drive yet -- and has flown ever since.

"This is something I wanted to do, and I did it," he said. "I had the
opportunity to join the military and fly for my country and help win World
War II and in Korea."

"Follow your dreams," he told the students. "If you want to do it, do it.
Whatever you want to do, you can do it."

One student asked him how hard was it to survive World War II. "World War II
was very difficult," Mr. Dunjill said. "When I was training at Tuskegee,
there was something called discrimination and segregation," he said, adding
that both made it difficult to learn, difficult to live.

"We weathered this, and today discrimination does not exist legally as it
did then," he said.

Mr. Smith flew bombers during World War II. He told the students he didn't
always want to be a pilot. He told them every pilot has a close call sooner
or later. "If you try to be bold and go against nature, things will happen
to you and they are not going to be good."

During his presentation, Mr. Smith had four students stand up -- three were
black and one was white. He gave each black student a quarter and the white
student a penny, then asked the crowd what was it that he had just done.

"Racism," called out one student.

"Discrimination," answered another.

"That's right; I discriminated against him," Mr. Smith said.

Then Mr. Smith turned the boy around so his back faced the crowd and moved
him away from the three black students. Then he again asked the students
what he had just done.

"Segregated him," a student called out.

Mr. Smith explained that those two things happened to the Tuskegee Airmen
during their time in the military, as well as when they weren't fighting for
the country. 

He told the students a story about how he and other black soldiers refused
to follow discriminatory rules at a base in the United States, rules that
said they couldn't go into the officers club, play tennis or swim after
dark. 

They defied the rules and were arrested.

"On one hand we fought overseas and on the other hand we fought over here,"
he said, adding that they did so so everyone could participate in the
military and government.

The visit was sponsored by the Davenport chapter of 100 Black Men Inc., in
partnership with Quad City Aviators, Davenport Police Department, Davenport
School District, Rock Island School District and the Rock Island Elks
Esquire Lodge 1648 Elite Temple 1265.

Mike Cole, a Davenport Police detective who is in charge of security for the
school district and president of the Davenport chapter of 100 Black Men,
said there were several reasons the group wanted to bring the Tuskegee
Airmen to the Quad-Cities.

"The whole mission of the 100 Black Men is to enlighten young people to
history, to people who have gone before them and who have done good things,"
said Mr. Cole. 

"These men faced some of the strongest adversity and they succeeded. These
men were American airmen who fought for our country during a time of
segregation. The fought for the rights of people who did not see them as
whole human beings -- these were the people they were fighting for freedom
for," he said. 

"We just want to show kids that they will face some adversity and obstacles
in what they want to achieve, but, if they stay steadfast in their outcome,
they'll be OK. We want to tell kids that they can make it; they can
persevere." 

Tuskegee Airmen 

- Five of 13 original cadets finished training in March 1942

- 994 pilots finished training through 1946

- 450 black pilots flew combat missions in World War II

- Armed forces desegregated by President Harry Truman in 1948

www.tuskegeeairmen.org <http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/>






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Greetings...Forwarded...FYI...Ron Brewington
 

  Posted Online: Posted online: November 16, 2007 8:13 PM
Print publication date: 11/17/2007
Tuskegee Airmen share story of perseverance
Comment on this story
<http://qconline.com/archives/qco/print_display.php?id=362972#comments>
By Dawn Neuses, dneuses at qconline.com
  
<http://photos.qconline.com/photog/vgallery.cgi?prcss=view_pic&dir=11-11
-07_11-17-07/11-16-07/airmen16&picnm=airmen16_06a.jpg> More photos from
this shoot 
<http://photos.qconline.com/photog/vgallery.cgi?prcss=more_pics&dir=11-1
1-07_11-17-07/11-16-07/airmen16>
Photo: Paul Colletti
Beverly Dunjill and Quentien Smith, two of the Tuskegee Airmen, watch a
video about their squadron with students at J.B. Young in Davenport. Mr.
Dunjill was a fighter pilot and Mr. Smith was a bomber pilot.

DAVENPORT -- They didn't lecture. Instead, the two men who fought for the
country's freedoms during a time of discrimination and segregation quietly
told their stories to hundreds of students Friday, opening their lives to be
examples of perseverance.

Beverly L. Dunjill and Quentin Smith, of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, gave a
presentation about their experiences Friday morning at J.B. Young
Intermediate School.

The Tuskegee Airmen, so named because they trained at Tuskegee Army Air
Field in Tuskegee, Ala., were the first black aviators in the segregated
Army of World War II.

At the time of their training, many thought blacks lacked the skill and
intellegence to be airmen. Once trained, the airmen joined segregated units
that served with distinction.

On March 29, 2007, Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the
surviving Tuskegee Airmen. It is the highest civilian honor the nation can
bestow. 

Mr. Dunjill entered training as the war was ending, but flew 100 combat
missions as a jet fighter pilot in the 334 Fighter Squadron and the 4th
Fighter Group during the Korean War. He told the students that he has flown
almost his entire life. He began when he was 16 -- at that time, not legally
old enough to drive yet -- and has flown ever since.

"This is something I wanted to do, and I did it," he said. "I had the
opportunity to join the military and fly for my country and help win World
War II and in Korea."

"Follow your dreams," he told the students. "If you want to do it, do it.
Whatever you want to do, you can do it."

One student asked him how hard was it to survive World War II. "World War II
was very difficult," Mr. Dunjill said. "When I was training at Tuskegee,
there was something called discrimination and segregation," he said, adding
that both made it difficult to learn, difficult to live.

"We weathered this, and today discrimination does not exist legally as it
did then," he said.

Mr. Smith flew bombers during World War II. He told the students he didn't
always want to be a pilot. He told them every pilot has a close call sooner
or later. "If you try to be bold and go against nature, things will happen
to you and they are not going to be good."

During his presentation, Mr. Smith had four students stand up -- three were
black and one was white. He gave each black student a quarter and the white
student a penny, then asked the crowd what was it that he had just done.

"Racism," called out one student.

"Discrimination," answered another.

"That's right; I discriminated against him," Mr. Smith said.

Then Mr. Smith turned the boy around so his back faced the crowd and moved
him away from the three black students. Then he again asked the students
what he had just done.

"Segregated him," a student called out.

Mr. Smith explained that those two things happened to the Tuskegee Airmen
during their time in the military, as well as when they weren't fighting for
the country. 

He told the students a story about how he and other black soldiers refused
to follow discriminatory rules at a base in the United States, rules that
said they couldn't go into the officers club, play tennis or swim after
dark. 

They defied the rules and were arrested.

"On one hand we fought overseas and on the other hand we fought over here,"
he said, adding that they did so so everyone could participate in the
military and government.

The visit was sponsored by the Davenport chapter of 100 Black Men Inc., in
partnership with Quad City Aviators, Davenport Police Department, Davenport
School District, Rock Island School District and the Rock Island Elks
Esquire Lodge 1648 Elite Temple 1265.

Mike Cole, a Davenport Police detective who is in charge of security for the
school district and president of the Davenport chapter of 100 Black Men,
said there were several reasons the group wanted to bring the Tuskegee
Airmen to the Quad-Cities.

"The whole mission of the 100 Black Men is to enlighten young people to
history, to people who have gone before them and who have done good things,"
said Mr. Cole. 

"These men faced some of the strongest adversity and they succeeded. These
men were American airmen who fought for our country during a time of
segregation. The fought for the rights of people who did not see them as
whole human beings -- these were the people they were fighting for freedom
for," he said. 

"We just want to show kids that they will face some adversity and obstacles
in what they want to achieve, but, if they stay steadfast in their outcome,
they'll be OK. We want to tell kids that they can make it; they can
persevere." 

Tuskegee Airmen 

- Five of 13 original cadets finished training in March 1942

- 994 pilots finished training through 1946

- 450 black pilots flew combat missions in World War II

- Armed forces desegregated by President Harry Truman in 1948

www.tuskegeeairmen.org <http://www.tuskegeeairmen.org/>






See what's new at AOL.com <http://www.aol.com/?NCID=AOLCMP00300000001170>
and Make AOL Your Homepage
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