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Cover Story: Fighters for All Time (Print Only)

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Departments - Pages of History

Tuskegee Airmen Honored

During World War II, Lt. Luke Weathers piloted a P-51 Mustang, protecting U.S. bombers from enemy fire. On one mission, while escorting a damaged b-24 Liberator back to England following a bombing mission in Germany, he shot down two Nazi planes and chased the other attack planes away.

This Month in History

World War II ended Sept. 2, 1945, when Japanese officials delivered their surrender documents on
the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan.

His actions that day are portrayed in a painting by artist Mickey Harris honoring the 332nd Fighter Group of Tuskegee Airmen, which was unveiled during a ceremony at the Pentagon this summer. The fighter group boasted a record of never losing a bomber entrusted to its protection to enemy forces during the war.

Also unveiled that day was a portrait of Weathers, who is now a retired lieutenant colonel, painted by Harris’ son, Matthew. Harris and Weathers met during a similar ceremony at the Pentagon two years ago when the artist’s “Memphis Belle” painting was unveiled. Harris became interested in the Tuskegee Airmen as Weathers described the mission that the artist chose to portray.

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley said during the ceremony the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen continues to live in today’s operations. He thanked the history-making airmen for all they accomplished and what they taught America. The ceremony included Air Force Secretary James Roche, members of Congress, and other Tuskegee Airmen and their families.

Vietnam Vet Gets His Due

Retired 1st Sgt. Claude Quick, an Army medic during Vietnam, recently received the Distinguished Service Cross. Quick was attached to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, when his company came under enemy fire in the Bo Loi woods. Though injured, he continued to give medical aid to his fellow soldiers. After the battle, Quick was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device to recognize his actions under fire. The Distinguished Service Cross request for Quick, however, was lost.

 

DON'T MISS IT
Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History will open a new exhibit, “The Price of Freedom,” Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2004. The exhibit will include a Vietnam combat Huey helicopter, which landed on the National Mall last spring after a month-long nationwide journey. The exhibit will survey the history of America’s military from colonial times to the present through hundreds of artifacts, first-person accounts, and interactive experiences. Visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu or call (202) 633-1000.

Altissimo! Recordings has joined forces with The Army Historical Foundation to release “Hero for Today.” The CD features concert band and choral music performed by the U.S. Army Band and chorus. A percentage of the proceeds will help fund The National Museum of the United States Army, scheduled to open in 2009. Visit Altissimo!’s Web site at www.militarymusic.com.

American Nightingale (Atria, ISBN 0-7434-7758-8) by Bob Welch tells the story of the first World War II nurse to die after the landings at Normandy. Welch wrote the book after reading a letter written to Stars and Stripes by Frances Slanger, who died in the shelling of her field hospital the night after she wrote
it in 1944.