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Iowa
Tuskegee Airmen Memorial
P-51D Mustang
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Although the graduate black U.S. Army officers of Fort
Des Moines' 17th Provisional Training Regiment had proven
their worth in 1917 and again while leading the 92nd
Division in France during the First World War in 1918,
a racist Army War College study in 1925 concluded that
"blacks lacked intelligence and were cowardly under
combat conditions."
In spite of the prevalent racism of the day, the first
training facility for black combat pilots was offered
at Moton Field, Tuskegee, Alabama from 1941-1945. Of
the 992 graduate airmen who became the 99th Fighter
Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group and 477th Composite Group,
450 saw combat during World War Two including 200 escort
missions without losing a bomber to enemy fighter planes.
Iowa had twelve graduate airmen including several of the most notable and a number of others who trained but where "washed-out" for often unjust reasons. Moton Field at Tuskegee was built by prominent black engineer Archie Alexander who was a native of Ottumwa.
The fiberglass shell P-51D Mustang to be mounted at the new entrance of the Iowa Air National Guard 132nd Fighter Wing on the north side of the Des Moines International Airport bears the numbers of two of Iowa's most famous flyers:
Luther H. Smith (#93)
Des Moines native Captain Luther Smith flew 133 combat missions before becoming a German prisoner of war on his final flight over Yugoslavia in October 1944. Badly injured in the crash, he survived months of German captivity and stateside hospitalization to later become a prominent Aerospace Engineer with General Electric.
In May 1995, he was selected by President William
Clinton as one of seven veterans to accompany him to
Europe for the 50th Anniversary of World War Two. Captain
Smith's P-51B wore number 93 showing two enemy aircraft
kills. In addition to the two air victories, Captain
Smith destroyed ten enemy aircraft on the ground and
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air
Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Robert W. Williams (#10)
Ottumwa native Captain Robert Williams flew 50 combat
missions and later wrote the original manuscript for
the award winning 1995 HBO film "The Tuskegee Airmen"
with his character portrayed by actor Laurence Fishburne.
Captain Williams' P-51D Mustang named "Duchess Arlene"
wore number 10 and is the featured paint scheme showing
two enemy aircraft kills.
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"Duchess
Arlene" Arlene Roberts-Morris with Williams'
P-51D named in her honor
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Captain Williams' wartime sweetheart "Duchess Arlene"
was Arlene Roberts of Moline, Illinois who later married
Des Moines native and 6th Army Captain James B. Morris,
Jr. and in 1958 gave birth to Fort Des Moines Memorial
Park founder and CEO Robert Morris who initiated the
Iowa Tuskegee Airmen Memorial project in 2000.
Captain Williams flew from Italy with the 100th Fighter
Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force
destroying two enemy aircraft between 1944-1945. He
was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air
Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters and the
Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation. In addition
to Smith and Williams, four other Iowans had distinguished
combat careers.
Joseph P. Gomer
Major Joseph P. Gomer of Iowa Falls flew 68 combat missions against Nazi Germany and had a distinguished military career through 1964. Lt. Gomer crash landed a P-39 and had a P-47 shot up by enemy aircraft as part of the 301st Fighter Squadron.
Maurice V. Esters
Webster City native Lt. Maurice Esters reported engine trouble and bailed out over the Adriatic Sea west of Yugoslavia in August 1944. "Maurice Esters was a very athletic man and we circled him after he landed in the Adriatic Sea that day, " recalls Captain Smith. "He was on his raft and waved to us that he was all right moments before a huge wave swept him under. We never saw him again."
Robert L. Martin
Lt. Robert Martin of Dubuque flew 64 combat missions and was shot down in March of 1945 over Yugoslavia. Rescued by Marshall Tito's underground, he returned to his unit after five weeks avoiding the Germans. Martin received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with six Oak Leaf clusters and Purple Heart.
Clarence A. Oliphant
Lt. Clarence A. Oliphant of Council Bluffs graduated
training with Williams and flew 48 combat missions with
the 332nd Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force.
Although a half century has passed, little recognition has found the Tuskegee Airmen for their perseverance and sacrifice through an incredibly difficult period in American history until now. Since the war, as physicians, engineers, educators and through a variety of distinguished professions, the Tuskegee Airmen have contributed to the growth of our nation.
On Saturday, November 9, 2002 the Iowa Tuskegee Airmen
Memorial was dedicated at the Iowa Air National Guard,
132nd Fighter Wing on the North side of the Des Moines
International Airport before 300 guests. The full-size
fiberglass shell P-51D Mustang fighter plane is painted
in classic "Red Tail Angel" colors bearing the numbers
of Smith and Williams. The day's events included a P-51C
fly-by and a recognition dinner at the downtown Marriott
Hotel attracting over 500 guests.
The Iowa Tuskegee Airmen Memorial is a joint project between the Fort Des
Moines Museum And Education Center and the Iowa
Air National Guard, 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines.
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