The Right to Fight as Equals: The 99th Pursuit Squadron and the Creation of the Tuskegee Airmen
The 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first of the Tuskegee Airmen, was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois, in March 1941. No pilots were trained at Chanute, but instead the officer corps and ground personnel for virtually every technical field were required to keep a fighter squadron operational. By end of 1941, the squadron was in Tuskegee, Alabama, with its pilots. The 99th was sent overseas to North Africa in April 1943, primarily flying P-40 Warhawks on ground attack and close support missions. Not until June 1944 did the 99th join the 332nd Fighter group, and together, give rise to the popular image of Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. Join Mark Hanson as he tells the incredible story of the 99th Pursuit Squadron.
Mark Hanson holds a masters degree in anthropology, with an emphasis on historical archaeology, from the University of Wyoming. He is currently the curator of the Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul, Illinois, and has worked in museum collections management for over 15 years. Hanson has conducted numerous museum tours and presentations on the 99th Pursuit Squadron, and helped develop the Chanute Air Museum's award winning exhibit, The 99th Pursuit Squadron: From Rantoul to Ramitelli.
