Earth Mother
Friday, August 7, 2009
Tuskegee Top Guns
Last night in Las Vegas the Young Guns Team saluted the The First United States Air Force Top Gun winners--two Black men. Yeah, that's correct. Black guys from the 332nd Fighter Group. The first national fighter gunnery competition took place here in Las Vegas at what is now Nellis Air Force Base. This was back after WWII in 1949. Each operational USAF Fighter Group in the US was to send three pilots to compete. It was a ten day meet with big time shoot outs for top honors in two categories Group and Individual. The pilots representing the 332nd Fighter Group were Cpt. Alva Temple of the 301st, First Lt. Harry Stewart of the 100th and First Lt. James Harvey of the 99th and alternate pilot First Lt. Halbert Alexander of the 99th. Top Team Honors in the Convention Class with the to the 332nd. Top Individaul Honors to Lt. William Crawford of the 82nd and Captain Alva Temple of the 332nd in second place. There's a funny story attached to this win...somehow, someway the powers that were didn't want the world to know these particular people won, so accidentally the trophy was missplaced. It stayed missplaced for decades. Sitting in awe of the two heroes honored tonight James Harvey and Buford Johnson, I'm Ruth Adkins Robinson
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Ruth,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interest in this story. It was the first time the USAF recognized them in 60 years!
Many records listed them incorrectly or not at all and most people are not aware our people of the 332nd Fighter Group were the best of the best!
My team and I worked for 12+ months just to get the Air Force's attention to right this wrong.
Good work,
Michael Joseph, II
Chairman
Young Guns Team
Tuskegee Airmen Gunnery Meet Recognition Event
38th Annual National Tuskegee Airmen Convention
Las Vegas, Nevada; August 6th -9th