The thrill of a life as a Flyer
Always many a young lads dream
Only available to the elite
A remote career it would seem
But not so in much Wartime
When many young Servicemen are sought
The Army , Navy and Air Force
The country’s enemies to thwart
And this was the case in World War 2
With young men from the U S of A
Were involved in the battle to survive
Both at home and in lands far away
So the tale I’ll tell is of “The Tuskegee Airmen”
The name by which they became known
The all-black 332nd Fighter Group
Who earned a Distinguished Unit Citation of their own
They flew a flight of P-51 Mustangs
Colonel Benjamin Davis was their Officer in charge
Their mission to protect B 17 Bombers on a raid
And keep the Messerschmitt 163 & 262’s at large
The Bomber force had a target that day
The Daimler Benz Tank factory in Berlin
Charles Brantley, Earl Lane & Roscoe Brown
Shooting down German Jets as the Bombers begin
Their successful attack to create another blow
To cripple manufacture of machines of war
And carried out further missions like this
Initiating the 477th Bombardment Group in 1944
It was part of the Tuskegee Experiment
To integrate coloured Aviators to B25 Bomber crews
Until they entered the all-white Officers Club
They were charged with mutiny making front page news
Thurgood Marshall represented the officers in court
As they were jailed as a result of confrontation
But all were soon released once again
‘cept one guilty of violence and fined for the violation
The unit carried on after the cessation of war
And The Army Air Corps the U S Air Force became
Along with a Tuskegee Pilot
Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. was his name
He flew in Korea and then in Vietnam
Then moved to Wheelus Air Base in Tripoli
Where he was then Officer in Command
For a Brigadier General was he
As was Benjamin O Davis Jr the first coloured General
And Lucius Theus at Major General making three
This story has been told many times I expect
To relate Heroic stories never fails
And I’m told this story was one of great appeal
And appears in the Movie called “Red Tails”