Artifact Friday: Red Tails Artwork

This month we celebrate February as black history month and commemorate black veterans and current servicemen and women for their service and dedication to this country. Not only do we celebrate their service but the barriers that they broke and the progress they brought about into making this country a more tolerant and respectful place. This week we will be looking at commemorative artwork and patches dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen and Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester. The artwork itself is by William S. Phillips, who is the most widely recognized aviation artist in North America. The print features a P-51 Mustang with a red tail that highlights the Tuskegee Airmen's service in World War II. The Tuskegee airmen were the first African American military pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and support staff in the U.S. Army Airforce. They are called the Tuskegee Airmen due to their training in Alabama at Tuskegee University. This print is not just dedicated to Tuskegee Airmen but specifically to Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester. He was a fighter pilot with the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd fighter group. He is known and celebrated for his mission on July 18, 1944, where he shot down three enemy aircraft in less than five minutes while escorting bombers over Germany. The patches below the print further commemorate his service. The patch to the left is a 100th fighter squadron logo and it symbolizes the 100th fighter squadron's global reach and power. The middle patch represents the 15th Air Force, the major command under which the 332nd Fighter Group operated in the Mediterranean theater. The last patch on the right represents the 332nd Fighter Group with a black panther and the motto “Spit Fire” which is the heraldic insignia of Fighter Group who are famously known as the “Red Tails.” The Red Tail symbolism on the P-51 Mustang as a proper commemorative military print then makes sense. Remembering black servicemen and the history they have contributed to aviation and military life is vitally important. Remembering the contribution black servicemen and women have made this month is important to keeping history alive.