Ed Dwight, the first African American astronaut candidate, IBM computer systems engineer, real estate developer, professional sculptor, and former Air Force test pilot, was born in Kansas City, Kansas on September 9th, 1933. From a young age, Dwight was an avid reader and a talented … Read MoreEd Dwight (1933- )
On June 9, 2020, four-star general Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the be the Air Force’s representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), thus becoming the first African American to both head a branch of the military … Read MoreCharles Quinton Brown Jr. (1962- )
Lieutenant Colonel Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is the first African American female fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. Kimbrell was born in Lafayette, Indiana on April 20, 1976. Her parents, Eve Blackman Ng A Qui and Dr. Norman N A Qui, migrated from Guyana … Read MoreShawna Rochelle (Ng A Qui) Kimbrell (1976- )
Robert Leander Martin was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Martin was born on February 9, 1919 to unnamed parents in Dubuque, Iowa. His mother died shortly after his birth. Martin became inspired to become a pilot after attending an air … Read MoreRobert Leander Martin (1919 – 2018)
Herbert Eugene Carter was one of the original thirty-three Tuskegee Airmen. He flew seventy-seven missions with fellow Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Carter was born on September 27, 1919 to Ann Sykes Carter and George Washington Carter in Amory, Mississippi. He attended Tuskegee High … Read MoreHerbert Eugene Carter (1919-2012)
Wilfred DeFour was an aircraft technician and member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African American pilots and support personnel who were in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II. DeFour was born on April 12, 1918 in Colon, Panama to … Read MoreWilfred DeFour (1918-2018)
Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Merryl Tengesdal is the first African American female U-2 pilot in history and is the first African American woman to fly the Air Force’s U-2 Dragon Lady Spy Plane. She is the only black woman alongside five white women and … Read MoreColonel Merryl Tengesdal (1971- )
Stayce D. Harris is the first African American woman to hold a three-star General rank, first Air Force Reservist to be promoted to the three-star rank other than the chief of the Air Force Reserve Command, and the first African American woman to serve as … Read MoreStayce D. Harris (1959- )
Tuskegee Airman Jack Daniels Holsclaw was born in Spokane, Washington, on March 21, 1918. His father, Charles, was a clerk in a downtown store, and his mother, Nell, was a manager at Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. Holsclaw attended North Central High School in Spokane, where … Read MoreJack Daniels Holsclaw (1918-1998)
Fred Vann Cherry was the highest-ranking African American POW during the Vietnam War to receive the Air Force Cross, the second-highest military recognition. Cherry was born on March 24, 1928 in Suffolk, Virginia to John Cherry, an impoverished farmer and occasional laborer, and Leolia Cherry. … Read MoreFred Vann Cherry Sr. (1928-2016)
