SOARING TO GLORY A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II

摘要

The veterans who made a wide variety of contributions to the course of World War II are in rapid decline, and all the memories they leave behind are historically precious because each one has his own special experience to relate. Harry T. Stewart Jr.'s wartime service holds several distinctions, starting with his being among those African-Americans who trained at Tuskegee, Ala., to become airmen at a time when the U.S. Army Air Forces did not expect— nor, in many cases, desire—them to prove their worth in battle. Once he'd arrived at the 332nd Fighter Group, Stewart flew 43 missions in North American P-51 Mustangs, and on April 1, 1945, he was credited with the destruction of three Focke-Wulf Fw-190Ds. From there, Stewart went on to fly a Republic P-47N to earn a spot on the team that won the U.S. Air Force's Top Gun award for its outstanding performance in ground attack in 1949. Even with those laurels behind him, Stewart faced the prejudices of his countrymen in pursuing a career in civil aviation.