My family and a group of friends went to the ICON Theater in Chicago yesterday to see the George Lucas film “Red Tails,” a film about the WWII fighter pilots called the Tuskegee Airmen. What a wonderful Saturday afternoon treat!
This is the telling of an important chapter in American History that has heretofore gone unmentioned and very possibly unknown by the general population .
The online reference source wikipedia.org has this to say:
“The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. During World War II, African Americans in many U.S. states still were subject to the Jim Crow laws. The American military was racially segregated, as was much of the federal government. The Tuskegee Airmen were subject to racial discrimination, both within and outside the army. Despite these adversities, they trained and flew with distinction. Primarily made up of African-Americans, there were also five Tuskegee Airmen that were of Haitian descent.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Airmen
I have personally known several men, friends of my family from my childhood, who had been Tuskegee Airmen. They were proud. They made many sacrifices. They were patriotic, even at a time when African Americans were widely thought of by whites as incapable of greatness. These gentlemen personified greatness as they played an integral role in our Country’s victory during World War II. They were courageous American soldiers who deserved praise. However, until recently they have not received praise for their commitment to our Country. “Red Tails” tells their story. Unfortunately, many of these men did not survive to see this long awaited, public acknowledgement of their brave contributions.
Producer George Lucas deserves much credit for his financial and creative commitment to this project. He holds a place of honor in American History for telling this remarkable story with such power and sincerity.
From all accounts of the enthusiastic crowd in the packed theater, everyone absolutely loved this film. It was wonderful, inspiring and long awaited. One man said to me “This is the best film that I’ve seen in a long time.”
My sentiments exactly!
The Music Business Expert Blog, By Greta Pope 