Tuskegee Airmen celebrate 35 years at National Convention

Jet, Oct 21, 1996

More than 2,000 people attended the 25th National Convention of the Tuskegee Airmen in Seattle, WA. The theme "Celebrating 25 years...beginning the rest of our heritage" was testament to the bond felt between the original Tuskegee Airmen and airmen of today.

"The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, the men and women of a 1941 War Department experiment to see if Blacks were capable of flying aircraft, represents the need of the Air Force and other armed services for continuous growth, diversity and mentorship," said Lt. Gen. Lester L. Lyles, one of the highest-ranking Black generals in the Air Force and head of the military affairs committee for the national organization. "They broke down barriers, and we owe it to them and ourselves to push forward and not lose ground."

Roger C. Terry, national president of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., proudly recounted that last year he and 101 other Black officers were exonerated from a 1945 reprimand they received for attempting to enter an illegally segregated officers' club at Freeman Field, IN. During the convention, Terry was succeeded by Ronald Lucas, who is the first nonoriginal Tuskegee Airman to serve as president.

The convention focused on continuing the "work" of the Tuskegee Airmen. It included a military forum and a youth forum and luncheon.

The military forum focused on mentoring in the armed forces. "This convention truly showed the importance of getting younger generations involved in our organization, so we can pass the torch and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen on," said host chapter president retired Air Force Colonel LeVaughn "Lou" Jenkins.

The luncheon keynote address was given by Maj. Gen. Marcelite J. Harris, the highest-ranking woman in the active duty Air Force and the first Black woman general in the Air Force. She gave a view of American information technology in the year 2000. Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Shelia Widnall, the only female secretary in the defense department, gave the keynote address at the annual awards banquet and spoke about the Tuskegee Airmen's contributions to America.