| | One of the problems with history is that by the time we, as a society, come to appreciate it, a lot of times there isn't much left. I recall reading a while back about George Washington's home, Mount Vernon, falling into disrepair and near-ruin in the 1800s. My own grandmother recounted to me how there wasn't much left of the Alamo, probably the most famous historical site here in Texas, when she and grandpa visited on their honeymoon in the 1920s.
Now that we're in the 21st century, it's the 20th century history that's being neglected. A few years back I read a statistic about how quickly World War II vets were dying, and I was so astounded (the number was in the thousands, per DAY) that like any engineer, I had to do a calculation to see if it was right. My back-of-the-envelope (actually, Palm calculator) guesstimate came pretty close.
Among these vets are a renowned group every American aerospace person ought to know about. These are the Tuskegee Airmen, black aviators who helped pave the way both for blacks in aviation and for integration of the military, which many historians credited with helping to spark integration throughout U.S. society.
There are finally a number of projects underway to help capture that history. Restoration of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, at Tuskegee Institute's Moton Field in Alabama, is underway, though it may be needing funding. Cirrus, the innovative lightplane manufacturer, is helping to sponsor the Redtail Project, which is restoring one of the distinctive red-tailed P-51 Mustangs the airmen flew.
There is also a National Museum of the Tuskegee Airmen in Detroit.
Finally, in something I'm amazed journalists haven't jumped all over, Star Wars' filmmaker George Lucas has indicated in recent interviews that he's working on a film about the Tuskegee Airmen, and it's apparently a priority for him, something he's wanted to do for a long time. So hopefully these heroes will get some of the recognition (by the public at large) that is long-deserved, and this will invigorate efforts to preserve what is really an important - and bright - part of American history. |
| | Posted 9/10/2005 7:29 PM - 95 Views - 0 eProps - 1 Comment
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