Townhall for the red tails

National Observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

79th Sustainment Support Command

To all 79th SSC Soldiers, Civilian Employees and Families, On January 16, the 79th SSC will commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who brought hope and healing to our great nation. Twenty years after Dr. Martin Luther King proclaimed to the world his dream for equality, Public Law 98-144 was enacted, designating the third Monday in January as a Federal holiday commemorating Dr. King’s birthday. The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society, but who also led a movement that achieved historic reforms to make it a reality.

"We have an opportunity to make America a better Nation," Dr. King said on the eve of his death. "I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land."

Though we have made great strides since the turbulent era of Dr. King's movement, his work and our journey remain unfinished. Take a moment to reflect on this national recurring theme for this holiday “Remember!

Celebrate! Act! A Day On…Not A Day Off.” It calls upon us, the American people to engage in public service and promote nonviolent social change.

Take time to volunteer and serve others; each of us can do our part to carry on Dr. King’s legacy.

As we celebrate this holiday, take the time and reflect on how our military exemplifies Dr. King’s vision for a better America. Since the military integrated its ranks over 60 years ago it has functioned as a model for diversity. In our military culture, we value an individual by their commitment, dedication, and ability, not their race, gender, religion, or national origin. As you continue to serve, remember that you are an ambassador for our great nation. The respect you show for each other is in keeping with Dr. King’s message and a positive reflection on our nation as a whole. Your daily actions send a powerful message that Americans truly live by the values of liberty and equality.

I want to thank each and every one of you for your faithful service and dedication to the 79th SSC and our country. I leave you with a quote from Dr. King, “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

- Maj. Gen. William D. Frink, Jr.

Tuesday, Jan. 12th, 2012 Building 15 JFTB Los Alamitos

Sequence of Events Welcome/Opening Remarks Ms. Andrea M. Breyton Invocation CH William E. Steen Introduction of Keynote Speaker Ms. Rita Cossio Guest Speaker Mr. Kevin Clark Special Showing “Double Victory” Tuskegee Airmen Q&A Mr. Farrell J. Chiles Hails and Farewells Maj. Gen. William D. Frink, Jr. Command Sgt. Maj. Robert N. Roberson Benediction CH William E. Steen Closing Remarks Ms. Andrea M. Breyton

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2012 Observance Poster In observance of the 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute (DEOMI) proudly announces the availability of original artwork, now available for download from the DEOMI Web site, www.deomi.org. The poster was created by DEOMI Illustrator, Mr. Peter Hemmer.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birth date of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and observed on the third Monday of date of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15. King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

On August 23, 1994, Congress passed the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Holiday and Service Act, designating the King Holiday as a day of volunteer service. Executive Order 13401, dated April 27, 2006, further delineates responsibilities of Federal agencies with respect to humanitarian efforts on the King Holiday. The next MLK Day of Service will be held January 16, 2012. The national recurring theme of this holiday is “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On… Not A Day Off.” It calls upon the American people to engage in public service and promote nonviolent social change. Dr. King’s unfinished movement toward equality can be achieved by our united, enduring efforts. Additional resources and reference materials are available on the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Web site at www.deomi.org.

For more information about the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, please visit: http://www.mlkday.gov/

Keynote Speaker

‘Double Victory’

Kevin Clark Founder and President of Dakar Interactive Dakar Interactive is a privately owned business located in the Los Angeles area with operations in Central and Northern California.

Dakar Interactive forges broad efforts in Urban Marketing, Advertising, Event Planning, Content Delivery and Business Development Solutions. We champion to provide foundations for the performing arts, diversity marketing and interactive programs. Our programs span both public and private sectors.

79th SSC Special Observances Special observances are conducted to enhance cross-cultural awareness among all Soldiers and Civilian Employees. These observances recognize the achievements and contributions made by members of specific racial, ethnic, or gender groups in our society. These observances promote understanding, teamwork, harmony, pride, and esprit-de-corps among all groups, not just within the specific group being honored. We would like to thank you for attending this great program. Your continued support is greatly appreciated.

Double Victory: Two Warriors in the Fight for Civil Rights During WWII is 13 years in the making. Many people along the way were of great assistance, from the nameless secretary who gave the first lead, to people who donated their time and resources.

This film combines photographs, newspaper articles, National Archive footage, interviews, audio clips, and maps to recount this story.

Special thanks go to the DeVeaux family; Mr. Jerry Paquette; WIFV-DC members Joanne Lawler, Thomas McCabe, and John Metherell; The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper; Fort Huachuca Historical Museum; The A.M.E. Church; the Kansas State Historical Society; Anna Giron; Sharon Tull; Randall Booth; David Harris; Gareth Tillson; Jon Clarke; and the veterans of WWII. The individuals interviewed for the film include members of the DeVeaux family; historians from Howard University, the University of Maryland, and Vanderbilt University; the former Civilian Aide to the Secretary of War during WWII; the former Ambassador to Australia; and two WWII veterans.

History of the Tuskegee Airmen Under considerable pressure, the War Department relented and undertook what was called the "Noble Experiment." It was tacitly considered to be doomed to failure especially by those who initiated a separate and supposedly equal part of the Army Air Corps. (Equal in rank, but not equal in privilege.)

Due to the rigid pattern of racial segregation that prevailed in the United Slates during World War II, the War Department selected Tuskegee, Alabama for the base site - far away from the center of things. In spite of a lack of official confidence and support, and a remote location, 992 pilots were graduated from Tuskegee Army Air Corps Flying School, which also trained and developed some of the support personnel, which would ultimately be needed to form combat units.

Some of the technical and other support personnel were also trained at other locations, primarily Chanute, Illinois.

Thus, the "Noble Experiment" resulted in the capability of forming a totally segregated unit of the Air Corps - pilots, navigators, bombardiers, gunners, and myriad numbers of technicians for ground support, again separate but supposedly equal, as was the then governing status of all the US, military organizations.

This "Noble Experiment" group turned out to be as good as any and better than most. Four hundred and fifty Black Fighter pilots under the command of Col. Benjamin 0. Davis (the fourth African-American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy, also a Lt. General with many major commands during his 38 years of distinguished service), fought in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe, flying P-40, P39, P-47, and P-51 type aircraft. These gallant men flew 15,553 sorties in 1,578 missions with the 12th and 15th Army Air Forces, where they were both feared and respected by the Germans who called them "Schwartze Vogelmensohen" or Black Birdmen).

White American bomber crews revered them as the "Black Red tail Angels" because of the identifying red painted tail assembly of their aircraft, and more importantly because they never lost a bomber to enemy fighter interdiction. The Black Airmen won one Silver Star, 150 Flying Crosses, Legion of Merits and Red Star of Yugoslavia, and left 66 of their comrades buried in foreign soil.

Although the 99th, along with the 100th, 301st, and 302nd fighter squadrons of the 332nd Fighter Group were building envious reputations overseas, the 477th Medium Bombardment Group was authorized in the spring of 1943. It became operational in January 1945. The segregated training program restricted the number of men available for the bombardment group, and thus many months were required to properly man the group. The imbalance in the production of pilots and air crewmen, followed by a shortage of trainees, and the group itself was continually blamed for these difficulties inherited from Air Corps command.

It became generally felt that the integrated "qualified" White command personnel were in many cases using the 477th as a stepping stone for speedy promotions, and were found in many instances to be sharpening their own inadequacies. This portent of trouble came to fruition in the spring of 1945 when 162 Black officers were placed under arrest for entering the "club" which the White command had attempted to segregate with White only membership and for refusing to obey an unlawful order.

All White personnel were reassigned. Fighting the adversities of a segregated military from the inside and an awesome enemy from the outside, the "Black Air Force" became a cohesive, motivated and dedicated group, Nearly thirty years of anonymity were ended in 1972 with the founding of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. as a nonpolitical, non-military, and non-profit entity.

The above ‘History of the Tuskegee Airmen’ was provided by Tuskegee Airmen Inc.—Los Angeles Chapter: www.lactai.org