Tuskegee Airmen visit Liberty Wing

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Marnee A.C. Losurdo
  • 512th Airlift Wing
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  It’s not every day someone gets to meet an American legend, let alone get sworn into the Air Force Reserve by a Tuskegee Airman. 

Nov. 1 was that day for Gerry LaChance, a recent Air Force retiree. 

“To meet history face-to-face doesn’t happen all the time; it’s an honor,” said Mr. LaChance who signed up for a term with the Air Force Reserve under the active-duty retiree program implemented in 2001. 

Tuskegee Airman Col. (Ret.) Richard Toliver administered the oath of enlistment to the newest member of the 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, Del. 

Colonel Toliver was one of five Tuskegee Airmen who returned Oct. 31 after a 10-day trip where they visited troops in Germany, Kuwait and Iraq. They participated in the Dover enlistment ceremony, attended by more than 100 base personnel, before continuing their travels. 

Prior to administering the oath of enlistment, the colonel spoke about their trip and the importance of diversity. 

“It’s important to realize that no matter what side of the ocean you’re on, we’re all in this together,” said Colonel Toliver, 67. “It’s a different kind of war; a different kind of enemy; and the challenges today are different. It’s the great American men and women standing side-by-side who are getting the job done.” 

Looking to the four retired Tuskegee Airmen standing beside him, Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer Jr., Lt. Col. Robert Ashby, Master Sgt. James A. Sheppard and Tech. Sgt. George Watson Sr., the colonel explained how the Tuskegee Airmen of today’s Air Force have a different face than those men who served 60 years ago. 

Today’s Tuskegee faces are women, African-American, Caribbean, Filipino, Asian, Pacific Islanders, Latin American and from every ethnicity all over the world, he said. 

“That is the face of Tuskegee Airmen today, and they are doing a super job,” Colonel Toliver said. 

The Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American pilot group, formed in 1941 when the Army Air Corps began a program to train African-American military pilots at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. The group flew escorts for bombers during World War II and is credited with not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions and won more than 850 medals. From 1940 to 1946, almost 1,000 pilots were trained at Tuskegee. About 450 deployed overseas and 150 lost their lives in training or combat. 

For reservists such as Tech. Sgt. LaChance and the 1,900 Airmen of the 512th AW who continue to take on the challenges of the ever-changing military, the legend continues.