Tuskegee Airmen Shirt

In September of 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced that the U.S. military would start training Black pilots to meet the demand of oncoming aggression from the axis powers. The War Department chose the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama - home to the Tuskegee Institute founded by Booker T. Washington. What would become known as the 'Tuskegee Experiment' would train over 1,000 pilots and some 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engine mechanics, control tower operators and other maintenance and support staff. Towards the back half of WWII, the majority of the squadrons started flying P-51 Mustangs to escort bombers and painted the tails red for identification purposes, thus earning the name "Red Tails." They had one of the best success rates in the entire Air Force of successful missions flown. The creation of the Tuskegee Airmen would help bring about the eventual desegregation of the Armed Forces in 1948. We thank the Tuskegee Airmen for their service - Straighten Up and Fly Right!

• Printed in Florence, Alabama
• 100% Cotton
• Oversized Fit