Black WWII Vets and 'Red Tails' of Context
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Dr. Josephine Bradley of the Africana Women’s Studies Program at Clark Atlanta University doesn’t know it but I often think about something she has said.
As a Civil Rights figure who played an integral part in school desegregation, it troubles her greatly that persons from younger generations sometimes blame integrationists for the undoing of strong black communities.
She talks about their efforts for equal rights and access to education, resources, and freedoms rather than for the mere chance to fraternize with whites. Dr. Bradley attributes misconceptions about the Civil Rights Movement to the failure of Civil Rights activists to adequately educate those who came after them about why they did what they did.
She speaks of how important context is in understanding anything that is being studied.
Dr. Bradley is right. Without an understanding of context, meanings cannot be understood in their fullness.
When I was in high school, I was in a program that allowed me to leave school at midday to go to work. I worked at the family-owned Atlanta Daily World and worked with The Scott Family, including Publisher C.A. Scott and his wife, Ruth P. Scott; their daughter, Portia A. Scott; Russell Simmons and his wife, Ruth Simmons; and C.A.’s nephew, W.A. Scott, III (father of current ADW Publisher/CEO Alexis Scott Reeves).
Of them all, “W.A.” stood out because he wore a round medal on a wide ribbon of red, white, and blue stripes around his neck every single day. So one day I asked him about it. I was really curious about the medal but I didn’t fully understand what he was talking about.
During the course of my college years my political viewpoints became more progressive and I developed a strong disdain for what I knew about the U.S. wars. I didn’t like the U.S. invasions I was learning about and my opinions began to change about those who served in the Armed Forces.
My respect for War Veterans diminished greatly and although I had a lasting fondness for W.A. and his kindness to me and others, I had mixed feelings about his claim to fame.
In 1992 when W.A. passed away, I paid my final respects to him. Years later, well after the 1995 release of the “The Tuskegee Airmen,” I watched the movie. That's when I came to understand what W.A. had told me and why he had been so proud of his service in the war. What brought clarity to my understanding was the dramatization of the movie. It helped me to better understand the historical context and significance of Black Veterans and the Tuskegee Airman in particular.
Those men hadn’t simply been “fighting the white man’s war.” They had broken down barriers.
Those vicious tons of steel in strategic formation that had monstrously flown at Tuskegee Airmen had represented deadly daggers of racism. Black Veterans had proven to the world that they were not mentally inferior. They had demonstrated their courage and competence.
What I hadn't known about William A. Scott, III was that he'd served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946; and in 1944, he was sent to Germany where he was a photographer with the 318th Airbase Squadron and the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion. During his assignment in Germany, he became one of the first Allied soldiers to enter Buchenwald, a Nazi concentration camp, to liberate prisoners of the Holocaust.
Yet and still the questions Sticman Deadprez raised on Facebook a few days ago are relevant: “are you for the US instigated wars of aggression in Iraq bombing the people there? are you for the US instigated wars of aggression in Afrika killing people there? if a black person pulls the trigger or sets the bombs off, are you with it then? "Just a red tail inspired, follow up question,” he asked his Facebook Friends.
Another of his posts that went into more detail struck a nerve. In fact, his post quickly generated 402 “likes," 177 comments, and 66 “shares."
I’m glad “Red Tails” has sparked such thought-provoking discussions. In the midst of many discussions I’ve realized that I still don't like U.S. invasions. I don't like how blacks are pawns in the game.
Moreover, I don’t like the destruction of people anywhere in the world regardless of imaginary lines to which humans make claim. I realize that I don't like that people's Mamas, Daddys, Children, and Grandparents anywhere are seen as "targets" and as "casualties, rather than as people.
I also realize that given the context in which Black WWII Veterans, including The Tuskegee Airmen did their thing, I have nothing but respect for W.A. and the rest of them.
Leslye "JOY" Allen
3:54 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I have never been in favor of war; and all of the World War II veterans that I spoke with for a WWII veterans project at Georgia Public Broadcasting were also overwhelmingly against war. I met enough of these individuals to recognize that all of them genuinely disliked violence. However, they also recognized that World War II had a very clear and distinct enemy--Adolph Hitler, who would have taken over all of Europe, if not the entire world. A lot of the young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan that I have spoken with have expressed that they do not feel that same sense of having engaged in a justified, albeit distasteful, mission.
Janita Poe
7:59 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
I agree with you, Joy (and Kupenda). I hate war. I hate the idea of humans killing humans. However, I have nothing but respect and appreciation for the men and women who risked their lives for a country that gave them second class citizenship. These trailblazers are true heroes. Thanks for a great column, Kupenda!
Kupenda Auset (Joette Harland Crosby)
11:12 pm on Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Joy, That project sounds like it was very insightful. Wow. I am surprised to hear that those veterans were against war. Is also interesting to know that they felt impassioned about their mission unlike some younger men and women who've served ...
Very well said, Janita. You said in 3 sentences what it took me a whole lot of words to say. Sheesh. I'm glad you're enjoying my column and thank you for the compliment. It's to be in the company of both of you here. Ya'll are awesome and CP is blazing. It has really filled a void here. Very substantive. Excellent!
Jair Sweatman
12:08 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Sticman is stuck on the means and the method rather than the mission. As A Marine Corp vet, let me put this in context. There is always more than one way to accomplish a mission. Peaceful means and methods are always preferred and the military is the LAST option. Our respect for life in this country assures that taking a life is the last option. Perhaps Sticman should ask the question in a local sense: Do you agree with crime and shootings? Selling drugs to kids and young girls selling their bodies for money? Or do you agree with increased education? Different methods, same mission.
Sticman should do more to act locally than making a fool of himself attempting to think globally. But what should we expect from someone afraid to use their REAL NAME?
-Jair Sweatman / United States Marine Corp
Kupenda Auset (Joette Harland Crosby)
8:54 am on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Jair, Thank you for taking the time to comment and for being so candid in your response. Some of your comments about Sticman bring to my attention that I failed to introduce who Sticman is to readers who may be unfamiliar with him. He is an award-winning Hip Hop artist, health advocate and producer who addresses manhood, health and fitness in his life and creative work. As a result of his community activism, he as earned awards, including the Betty Shabazz Award for Social Justice as well as Lyrics of the Month and Lyrics of the Year for Source Magazine. His book, The Art of Emcee-ing: A Complete Guide for the Aspiring Hip Hop Artist has been featured on BET’s Rap City as Book of the Month and is used in Oakland High School’s music program and creative writing courses. Although I do not know him personally, I know he is well-respected including by friends I value that he and I have in common (in real life, not just on FB). Here is more about him: https://www.facebook.com/STICRBG?sk=info.
Kupenda Auset (Joette Harland Crosby)
8:54 am on Thursday, January 26, 2012
To your point about military involvement and missions, I found Joy's comments very insightful. It never occurred to me that some WWII vets were "overwhelmingly against war." Yet, the mission of that war is, in part, what captured their allegiance to it. I think Sticman raises important points about the U.S. military's track record, which is more about a larger picture and function of war than about the committed individuals who have risked and sacrificed their lives in service. The views he expresses are not commercial views fed by traditional media (which are also a political tool and major influencer of behavior and attitudes). About the questions you raise regarding crime and such, books such as Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed provide some answers.
Yet and still, I agree with you that there is more than one way to skin a cat. There are so many opportunities for us all to make a difference that I suggest we all do the best we can, according to our understanding and ability. We can be unified in recognizing the building of a more humane world as a common mission.
Jair Sweatman
9:37 am on Thursday, January 26, 2012
In light of what you have shared regarding Sticman, allow me to redirect: Perhaps Sticman should address the degrading nature of rap music, the lack of respect for women in the lyrics, the lack of respect for the black community which supports it so fervently and the failure of rap music to promote education, common sense or anything beneficial to the audience which it serves. How can you say to your brother "Let me remove the speck in your eye", when there is a plank in your own? (Matt. 7:4) Laughable is his opinion, but he is able to express it because someone died to ensure his rights are preserved. That is the mission! Preserve our basic rights and freedoms. (Does rap music have a mission? Oh, no. That is just entertainment). Stick to your niche' Sticman. Entertainment is not education.
Jair Sweatman / United States Marine Corps
Jair Sweatman
10:06 am on Thursday, January 26, 2012
Alas, I will not allow the opinion of one to detract any further from the Tuskegee Airmen and their incredible accomplishments. I respect the hard work and heart it took to not just persevere in the face of segregation and humiliation, but to succeed to such a high degree as to affect change. I am sure none of the more than 400 pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen performed for personal glory, but rather excelled in performing at their peak in support of the mission and their team.
I salute these men, not just for their accomplishments and feats, but for the resolve, the dedication and their ability to do the task at hand without compromise. The ripple from their actions caused a wave of change. Love live the 332nd and the 477th!
Jair Sweatman (aka "8-Ball") / USMC HMLA-773 'Red Dog' Squadron