Overview

• Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. announced his death on Friday; no cause was disclosed.
• At 19, he became the youngest Red Tail to fly his first combat sortie over Europe.
• He flew 21 World War II missions escorting bombers, then 45 in Korea and 70 in Vietnam, according to the National WWII Museum.
• He trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field and served in Italy with the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group.
• After retiring in 1971, he earned engineering degrees, helped develop the Pentagon’s first global military telephone system, and later championed the Tuskegee legacy, receiving honors including the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor and the 2007 Congressional Gold Medal.