1941-1949 Tuskegee Airman US Mint Bronze Medallion~African-American Pilots~Fr/Sh

COIN5555 U.S. AND FOREIGN RARE COINS ~SPECIAL OFFERING~ The Tuskegee Airmen 1.5 Inch Bronze Medal honors of the Tuskegee Airmen in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the armed forces. The obverse design features three Tuskegee Airmen in profile, an officer, a mechanic and a pilot, as designated by their headgear. An eagle flies with wings outstretched, symbolizing flight, nobility and the highest ideals of the Nation with the inscriptions “TUSKEGEE AIRMEN,” “1941” and “1949.” The reverse design features a rendition of the three types of aircraft the Tuskegee Airmen flew in World War II, based on a logo design of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. The aircraft depicted in the design are the P-40, P-51 and the B-25 with the inscriptions, “OUTSTANDING COMBAT RECORD INSPIRED REVOLUTIONARY REFORM IN THE ARMED FORCES,” “ACT OF CONGRESS” and “2006.” The Tuskegee Airmen /tʌsˈkiːɡiː/[1] were 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. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel. All black military pilots who trained in the United States trained at Moton Field, the Tuskegee Army Air Field and were educated at Tuskegee University, located near Tuskegee, Alabama. The group included five Haitians from the Haitian Air Force, and one pilot from Trinidad.[2] It also included a Hispanic or Latino airman born in the Dominican Republic.[3] Although the 477th Bombardment Group trained with North American B-25 Mitchell bombers, they never served in combat. The 99th Pursuit Squadron (later, 99th Fighter Squadron) was the first black flying squadron, and the first to deploy overseas (to North Africa in April 1943, and later to Sicily and Italy). The 332nd Fighter Group, which originally included the 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons, was the first black flying group. It deployed to Italy in early 1944. In June 1944, the 332nd Fighter Group began flying heavy bomber escort missions and, in July 1944, with the addition of the 99th Fighter Squadron, it had four fighter squadrons. The 99th Fighter Squadron was initially equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter-bomber aircraft. The 332nd Fighter Group and its 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons were equipped for initial combat missions with Bell P-39 Airacobras (March 1944), later with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts (June–July 1944) and finally with the aircraft with which they became most commonly associated, the North American P-51 Mustang (July 1944). When the pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group painted the tails of their P-47s red, the nickname "Red Tails" was coined. The red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; the P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. During World War II, black Americans in many U.S. states were still subject to the Jim Crow laws[N 1] and the American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subjected to discrimination, both within and outside the army. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no African-American had been a U.S. military pilot. In 1917, African-American men had tried to become aerial observers, but were rejected.[5] African-American Eugene Bullard served in the French air service during World War I, because he was not allowed to serve in an American unit. Instead, Bullard returned to infantry duty with the French.[6] The racially motivated rejections of World War I African-American recruits sparked more than two decades of advocacy by African-Americans who wished to enlist and train as military aviators. The effort was led by such prominent civil rights leaders as Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, labor union leader A. Philip Randolph and Judge William H. Hastie. Finally, on 3 April 1939, Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed by Congress containing an amendment by Senator Harry H. Schwartz, designating funds for training African-American pilots. The War Department managed to put the money into funds of civilian flight schools willing to train black Americans.[5] War Department tradition and policy mandated the segregation of African-Americans into separate military units staffed by white officers, as had been done previously with the 9th Cavalry, 10th Cavalry, 24th Infantry Regiment and 25th Infantry Regiment. When the appropriation of funds for aviation training created opportunities for pilot cadets, their numbers diminished the rosters of these older units.[7] In 1941, the War Department and the Army Air Corps, under pressure — three months before its transformation into the USAAF — constituted the first all-black flying unit, the 99th Pursuit Squadron.[8] Due to the restrictive nature of selection policies, the situation did not seem promising for African-Americans since, in 1940, the U.S. Census Bureau reported there were only 124 African-American pilots in the nation.[9] The exclusionary policies failed dramatically when the Air Corps received an abundance of applications from men who qualified, even under the restrictive requirements. Many of the applicants already had participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, unveiled in late December 1938 (CPTP). Tuskegee University had participated since 1939.[10] * We Have A Large Selection Of Medallions/Tokens And A Huge Selection Of High Quality Coins And Notes In Our Store. * Search Our Inventory For All Your Collecting Needs And After Pressing Buy It Now For Each Item You Wish To Purchase, Check Out By Then Pressing The Pay Now Button (after The Last Item) To Pay For All Items Combined On The Same Invoice And All Shipped Together. * If You Want More Then 1 Weeks Time To Check Our Inventory For Additional Items Before You Check Out Please Contact Us Thru The Message Board. * Free Domestic Shipping. * All Coins Are Handled With Cloth Gloves And Packaged In a 2X2 Protection Holder. * Your Satisfaction Is Guaranteed Or Your Money Back. ~SHIPPING~ * We Ship Fast As Our Customers Know, In Most Cases Your Order Will Be Processed And On The Way To You Within One Business Day. * All Items Are Packaged Professionally And With Extreme Care, Secure Shipping Is Our Standard. * International Orders Are Shipped Either 1st Class International Or Global Priority Mail. ~PAYMENT~ * We Accept All Major Credit Cards Thru Paypal. 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