Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. At that time, the U.S. was assisting France and England and also fighting Germany.
In those days it was Jim Crow — no blacks in the Air Force. But the black (news)papers got onto the government and demanded that they put blacks in the Air Force.
At that time, I was attending Langston University. They were short of help in manufacturing factories, so all who had a trade in school but were not of age were sent to work in factories until they were called into service. Twenty-nine whites and one black, which was me, were sent to Hartford, Conn.
Within a week, we got hired to work in a steel plant in Plainville, Conn. In two months, I was called to report for induction in the Army. I came back to Hugo ... and had my physical exam in Tulsa. I was inducted at Fort Sill. ... After our test, I was sent to Enid Army Flying School for my basic training.
After eight weeks, the government decided to train blacks for the Air Force.
As soon as our training was completed, they sent about 10 of us to Scott Field, Ill., for radio operator/mechanic school. There was no radar at that time.
Due to Jim Crow, whites had their teachers, and we had our black instructor. We learned Morse code and were required to print 18 words a minute. We had to build a radio from scratch and pick up a radio station on your receiver. ... We graduated with diplomas just as the whites.
We also attended a ... control net system school in Tomah, Wisc., which was an advanced school with secret technology. ... We (black airmen) had our own planes, mechanics and pilots. (We flew) P-40 and P-51 fighter planes.
Charles B. Hall, a black pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen, shot down more German planes than anyone else in WWII. Wow! What a record. We were all proud.
In the summer of 1943, one Tuskegee Airman, Lt. Richard Bolling, was forced to bail out of his plane in combat and floated in the Mediterranean (Sea) a full day before being rescued.
We left from Langley Field, Va., and landed in Salerno, Italy, and operated from there until the war was over in Germany.
Due to our performance over there, the government decided to let us fly bombers ... the B-17, B-24 and B-29 bombers. ... After they dropped the atomic bomb, that ended the war in Japan.
Then it was either re-enlist or get out. I chose to get out.
Account of James E. Brewer, 87, of Oklahoma City, as told to his niece, Ivy Rogers.
Submitted on the oklahomawwii.org Web site
