– 1578 combat missions
– 179 bomber escort missions
– Destruction of 262 enemy aircraft
– Destruction of 950 rail cars and other motor vehicles

According to Wikipedia

The Tuskegee Airmen were credited by higher commands with the following accomplishments:

• 1578 combat missions,^[80] 1267 for the Twelfth Air Force; 311 for the Fifteenth Air Force^[81]
• 179 bomber escort missions,^[48] with a good record of protection,^[78] losing bombers on only seven missions and a total of only 27, compared to an average of 46 among other 15th Air Force P-51 groups^[82]
• 112 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air, another 150 on the ground^[48] and 148 damaged. This included three Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters shot down
• 950 rail cars, trucks and other motor vehicles destroyed (over 600 rail cars^[48])
• One torpedo boat put out of action. TA22 was an Italian World War I-era warship (Giuseppe Missori), that had been seized by the Germans and put into service. It was attacked on 25 June 1944, and damaged so severely she was never repaired. She was decommissioned on 8 November 1944, and finally scuttled on 5 February 1945.^[83][84]
• 40 boats and barges destroyed^[48]

Awards and decorations included:

• Three Distinguished Unit Citations
  • 99th Pursuit Squadron: 30 May – 11 June 1943, for actions over Sicily^{[citation needed][85]}
  • 99th Fighter Squadron: 12–14 May 1944: for successful airstrikes against Monte Cassino, Italy. The first two Distinguished Unit Citations received by the 99th Fighter Squadron were awarded to the groups to which the squadron was attached. At the time, when a group received the honor, it was shared with the squadrons the were assigned or attached to the group.^{[citation needed]}
  • 332nd Fighter Group (and its 99th, 100th, and 301st Fighter Squadrons): 24 March 1945: for a bomber escort mission to Berlin, during which pilots of the 100th FS shot down three enemy Me 262 jets. The 302nd Fighter Squadron did not receive this award as it had been disbanded on 6 March 1945.^{[citation needed]}
• At least one Silver Star^{[citation needed]}
• 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses to 95 Airmen; Captain William A. Campbell was awarded two.^[86][87]
• 14 Bronze Stars^{[citation needed]}
• 744 Air Medals^{[citation needed]}
• At least 60 Purple Hearts^[88]

(November 17, 1918 – January 13,1980)

Captain James Edward Murrell was born on November 17, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York.

His parents were Jacob and Ollie Thornhill Murrell.  He was reared in Camden, New Jersey and attended the Camden Public Schools graduating from Woodrow Wilson High School.

He met and married Lena Banks and reared 9 children.

He was inducted into the Army at Fort Dix, New Jersey on August 12, 1941.  Two weeks later he was sent to basic training in Augusta, Georgia and then to Oscoda, Michigan.

On July 3, 1942, he was sent to the Army Flying School in Tuskegee, Alabama where he served in several support positions in the 96^th Maintenance Group.

In 1944, his unit was shipped out with the air men from Newport News, VA to Italy.

He arrived as a Private 1^st class and left a year and a half later as a Master Sgt.  Within this time frame, he was promoted five times.

While in Italy, his unit witnessed the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

He returned from Italy and was discharged from the Army Airforce on November 4, 1945.

He later joined the Army Reserves and was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in 1949.

He was promoted to Captain before he retired.

James E. Murrell worked for over 25 years at Campbell Soup company as a Time Study Analyst. In the early 1960’s, while working at Campbell Soup, he was named Deputy Director of the Civil Defense educating the community on building fallout shelters in case of nuclear fallout.

After becoming ill, he retired from Campbell Soup Company and later died on January 13, 1980. He leaves a legacy of determination and achievement that exemplifies how one individual’s passion and dedication can create a lasting impact on his family, church and country.

(August 11, 1925 – May 7, 2017)

Before he was a doctor, Harry E. Lanauze, M.D., wanted to serve his country in the skies and prove that African-Americans could do anything. The young man from Washington, D.C., was so determined to serve his country that he lied about his age to enlist in the Army Air Forces when he was only 17 years old. The passion that fueled him to blaze trails in his youth never wavered. More than 70 years later, the 90-year-old Dr. Lanauze retired from his private practice.

Before all of that, though, he was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a legendary group of aviation pioneers. The Tuskegee Airmen were among the first African-Americans to fly for the United States Army Air Forces. Dr. Lanauze began flight training as a flight navigator at Hondo Air Force Base in Texas before being transferred to Tuskegee University, where he received his wings as a fighter pilot. Soon after, he found himself flying multiple combat and bomber escort missions over North Africa, Italy, and German-held territory in mainland Europe. The aircraft he flew included the P40 War Hawk and the P51 Mustang, also known by its more famous nickname, the Red Tail.

After his honorable discharge in 1946, Dr. Lanauze returned home to our nation’s capital. Eventually, he enrolled as a student at Howard University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1951. In 1962, he moved to Liberty Borough, just outside of McKeesport, Pennsylvania and started his rotating internship at McKeesport Hospital. Later that year, he became a full-time ER physician, a position he would keep until 1997. But Dr. Lanauze didn’t retire from medicine altogether. He still maintained a private practice as a family doctor, and he even continued making house calls until his official retirement in 2012.

(July 11, 1920 – September 4, 2014)

George Thomas Mitchell was born on July 11, 1920, the only child of Helen and Edward Mitchell. He grew up in South Philadelphia. His mother, aunt and grandmother all stressed the value of a good education. He applied for and was accepted into the highly competitive Central High School, one of two schools in that area that offered a B.A. Degree. He graduated with honors in 1938.

At the beginning of World War II, George was drafted into the Army Engineers, and because of his extensive radio/electronic experience and education was transferred to Tuskegee, Alabama for the “Tuskegee Experiment”; a segregated Army Air Corps unit that trained Black pilots to fly and protect the American bombers flying over enemy territory.

The “Red Tails” had the distinction of never having lost an accompanied bomber to enemy fire while under their protection. George’s assignment was an Aviation Cadet Ground School Instructor in radio blinker code using the Aldus Light system. He also taught radio communications to student pilots and navigators. He was most proud of the fact that he never failed a student. If they were having difficulty, he voluntarily worked with them after class, ensuring that they would pass the coursework and be able to attain their dream of becoming an airman. He served as an instructor until his honorable discharge as a Sergeant declining an offer of Warrant Officer so that he could return to civilian life.

George met and married Lillian Frances Stokes and he and his new bride lived in Chicago, Illinois until moving to Bremerton, Washington, where he entered civil service as a Navy employee at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. He and the family later moved to Seattle, Washington and then in 1963, they moved to San Diego, California, where he was the Division Head Electronics Engineer for shipboard electronics systems. George continued studying and preparing himself for future promotions and to that end accepted a supervisory position at the Shore Repair Facility in Agana, Guam. He and the family lived there for 2 years before transferring once again to Subic Bay, Philippines, where he took a position in the Shore Electronics Division. They remained there for the next 6 ½ years.

While living in Guam and the Philippines, George made dozens of trips to Vietnam (at the height of the Vietnam War), where he installed radar and communications equipment for the U.S. Navy. He was the only African-American in the Navy Civilian Engineering Dept. He retired as Technical Director Chief Electronics Engineer as a GS15 in 1972.

After retiring from Civil Service, he accepted employment with the University of California Scripps Institute of Oceanography as a U.S. Merchant Marine Radio Electronics Officer. As an accomplished and talented photographer, he was able to capture photographic details of the scientists’ discoveries as they sailed the 2200 miles of the Amazon River. He later presented these slide shows voluntarily to school groups and other organizations once he returned to San Diego.

After retiring from Scripps, he worked for the Exxon Shipping Company as a Radio Officer for the oil tankers travelling between California and Valdez, Alaska. It should be noted that he was the only African American to have held these aforementioned positions. After his third and final retirement, in 1987, he was able to pursue his other passions of being an Amateur Radio enthusiast (call sign K6ZE), Jazz and photography. After the death of his wife Lillian, he met and married D’Andrea Davis and together raised his two stepsons, Robert Dee and Deon Davis Coons.

George was a published photographer who had pictures displayed at the San Diego Photographic Museum and he also won numerous National Awards. He even had his own darkroom where he developed black and white photos.

He is a past member of the Toastmasters, Urban League, NAACP and the Seattle Black Y.M.C.A. George was a faithful member of Chollas View United Methodist Church since 1963. He has donated thousands of hours over the years, taking pictures for community group functions, schools, churches, social events, etc. He has also served in the capacity of Docent, a voluntary position for Scripps Aquarium.

George’s love of animals is well known. He would never leave his house without a bottle of water, a leash and food for any strays that he would come across, coaxing the frightened, skittish animals into his car with a kind tone and gentle touch. If unable to locate the owner, he would use his own funds to have them spayed/neutered, get their shots and any other medical treatment that they required to make them more “adoptable”. At one time, he and Dee had two extra dogs in their home that never quite made it to the Humane Society.

On March 29, 2007, George travelled to Washington, DC where he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service as a Tuskegee Airman.

George was most honored for his 75 years as an active Amateur Radio Operator by the Quarter Century Wireless Association. Before the era of cell phones and Skype, he volunteered his time to relay calls linking family members during natural disasters and also provided a “chat line” for overseas service members and their families back home.

When asked what advice he would give to today’s youth he replied, “never stop learning or reading about your field of interest. Try to take courses to help you advance.” He also said that he hoped that his legacy would be to inspire people who may not have completed college to show them that through continued study and training and profession growth, they too can complete their dreams. When asked what social changes had the most impact on him personally in his lifetime, he said that he had been most affected by voting rights, desegregation of schools, transportation and housing and the election of the first Black president.

George slipped away peacefully on September 4, 2014, surrounded by love.

Lt. Paul Keene, Jr. was a Charter Member of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen

Paul Farwell Keene Jr. was a Philadelphia-area artist and teacher whose work helped raise the visibility of Black American artists. As a self-described “abstract realist,” his story reflects both the accomplishments and the difficulties of African American artists in the 20th century.

Keene was born on August 24, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Paul F. Keene Sr and Josephine Bond Hebron, co-founder of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Incorporated. In 1944, he married Laura Mitchell, the great-great granddaughter of abolitionist John Pierre Burr. They resided in Warrington, Pennsylvania with their son and daughter.

Keene earned three degrees (B.F.A., B.Sc. Ed., and M.F.A.), and was also a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

During World War II, Keene served with the Tuskegee Airmen in the 332nd Fighter Group and attained the rank of lieutenant. Keene attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Art, the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, and the Académie Julian. He studied at the Academie Julian in Paris under the G.I. Bill. While in Paris, Keene was a founding member of Galerie Huit, a collective gallery for American artists. Keene exhibited with Picasso and Leger at the Salon de Mai and through Whitney Fellowships directed courses at the Centre D’Art, Port-au-Prince, Haiti between 1952 and 1954.

In 1952 Keene located to Haiti where he studied and taught under a John Hay Whitney fellowship.  In 1954 he returned to the United States. He taught at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, as well as the Philadelphia College of Art, where he taught until 1968. From 1968 through 1985 Keene taught at the Bucks County Community College, where he helped to establish a new art department.

In 1966 Keene painted a mural at the HBCU Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1971 Keene created a relief installation for the Fifty Ninth Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia. He had a two-decade-long association with the Brandywine Workshop and was the recipient of their Van Der Zee Award in 1990.

Keene died on November 26, 2009, in Warrington, Pennsylvania.

His works are in collections at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Hampton University Museum in Virginia, the James A. Michener Art Museum., the British Museum in London, the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University in Baltimore, the Nigerian National Museum, the Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Tucson Museum of Art, among others.

Keene’s work was also included in the 2015 exhibition We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s at the Woodmere Art Museum.