, Lt. Carroll S. Woods, Lt. Robert H. Nelson, Jr., Capt.
Andrew D. Turner, and Lt. Clarence P. Lester. (U.S. Air Force photo) The
Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of
African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) who fought in
World War II. They formed the
332nd Fighter Group and the
477th Bombardment Group of the
United States Army Air Forces. Lester recalled that "Being a black pilot in the 1940s was like being a pro athlete today ... We knew we were special, that we would have to prove something. This was the first chance blacks had had outside of working in the kitchen or the possibility [sic] of being a truck driver." White pilots would fly around 50 combat missions but because there were no replacements, black pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen flew around 70 missions. During the war he flew over 90 combat missions. Overall, Lester was one of only nine Tuskegee Airmen pilots with at least three confirmed kills during
World War II. ==Awards==