Given a political commentator’s inexplicable recent comments about “black pilots,” now would seem as good a time as any to feature the Tuskegee Airmen in this edition of the Black History’s Heroes Series. 

For those who may be unaware, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military airmen in the nation’s history. They were “dedicated, determined young men” who enlisted their services to become fighter pilots in World War II. Applicants and recruits were screened for competency, and those who “possessed the physical and mental qualifications and were accepted into the aviation program were trained initially to be pilots, and later to be either pilots, navigators or bombardiers.”