A documentary salute to Tuskegee Airmen

When you think about World War II, military leaders such as George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur often come to mind. But how much do you know about the Tuskegee Airmen? Now's your chance to learn about the first African American military pilots, who fought valiantly against fascism during the war.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is offering a free screening Thursday night of Double Victory, a new documentary by filmmaker George Lucas about the recruitment, training, and combat missions of the Tuskegee Airmen. Surviving pilots Eugene Richardson Jr., 86, of Mount Airy, and Maj. John Harrison, 90, of Center City, are scheduled panelists for a question-and-answer session after the film with Derrick Pitts, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen and chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute. Black Entertainment Television correspondent Ed Gordon will host and moderate. The City of Philadelphia will present a proclamation to the airmen.

"People feel honored to be in their presence," said Leah Douglas, director of exhibitions at Philadelphia International Airport, which has a display on the airmen.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first class of black military pilots. Before World War II, when the United States and the U.S. military were racially segregated, African Americans were banned from service as pilots. But through the efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Pilot Training Program in 1939. Tuskegee Institute, in Alabama, was one of six black colleges that the military chose to provide flight instruction to African Americans.

When Douglas recognized the anniversary's approach, she organized "Tuskegee Airmen: 70 Years of Aviation History," which opened in Terminal A-East on July 4.

"At the airport, we have people from all over the world coming through," Douglas said. "People from all over recognize their struggle and it touches people who have also had to overcome adversity."

Narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., Double Victory is being screened in major cities to promote Red Tails, a theatrical film also by Lucasfilm and starring Terrence Howard, Gooding, and Bryan Cranston. Red Tails (the title refers to a distinctive aircraft paint scheme), scheduled for release in January, is based on the crew of African American pilots who courageously embodied the "Double V" campaign.

The "Double V" slogan represented twin movements: the fight against racism at home and in the military, as well as the fight against fascism and anti-Semitism abroad. Thousands of African American soldiers served willingly in the armed forces. But many black Americans were faced with the irony of supporting the war while Jim Crow laws and segregation remained in place at home. In the case of the airmen, many pilots were sent into combat with hand-me-down planes.

But there also are tales of civility. When young Eugene Richardson entered basic training in 1944, he served under Capt. Noel Parrish, the new assistant director of training at Tuskegee Army Flying School. Before Parrish arrived, the base was segregated, with separate drinking fountains and accommodations.

"But Noel did away with all that. He came in and said: 'On this base, there will be no trouble,' " Richardson said in a phone interview this week.

Off the base and in segregated America, Richardson and his buddies faced the ugliness of Jim Crow. "You could run into trouble any place, anytime when in South Carolina or Kentucky," recalled Richardson. "You had to sit in the back of the bus to avoid being arrested or beat up. We avoided trouble as much as possible."

The documentary Double Victory and the feature Red Tails are especially timely. World War II veterans are advancing in age, leaving ever fewer surviving participants in this pivotal chapter of American history.

African American-themed combat pictures are helpful vehicles for black actors, many of whom struggle to secure roles in mainstream movies. Like the social problem pictures of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, more recently released combat films such as A Soldier's Story (1984), Glory (1989), and Miracle at St. Anna (2008) either envision a common enemy fought by blacks and whites alike, or they align African American struggles for equality with America's democratic principles.

  Both the documentary opener and the forthcoming film have the potential to be entertaining and to remind us how far the civil rights struggle has moved.

"These are the men who laid the groundwork to make opportunities available today," Douglas said.