Tuskegee Airmen Member Judge Robert Decatur brings WWII history to life at SCC during Diversity Days 2006

Legendary Tuskegee Airmen Member Judge Robert Decatur addressed students, faculty members, school administrators and members of the local community after a special showing of the 1995 HBO movie, "The Tuskegee Airmen," Wednesday, March 22 in the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus Fine Arts Concert Hall concluding SCC's Diversity Days celebration.

During his presentation "Reflections of World War II," the soft spoken 84-year-old told the audience he credits two "wonderful women," for making it possible for blacks to fly for their country: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and her good friend Mary McCloud Bethune. Decatur also credits "a then obscure senator from Missouri by the name of Harry S. Truman."

Decatur, who earned his private pilot's license while studying political science at University of Akron, in Ohio, reported to Keesler Field in Biloxi, Mississippi in January 1943. He was the first black pre-flight cadet stationed there. After completing his basic training, he moved on to Tuskegee to complete his flight training.

Approximately 450 pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Airfield and served overseas in either the 99th Pursuit Squadron, which later became the 99th Fighter Squadron, or the 332nd Fighter Group. Flying primarily in P40's or P51 Mustangs, "the Cadillac of fighter planes," the Tuskegee Airmen became some of the most feared fighter pilots in the war. According to Decatur, enemy planes would sometimes retreat after spotting the red-tailed, red-nosed planes flown by the Tuskegee Airmen. "Our guys were that good," the Judge said. A Tuskegee Airman is credited with shooting down the first German fighter jet. Tuskegee Airmen are also credited with shooting down the last plane to be destroyed in World War II.

Decatur, who also served in the Korean War, enrolled in law school instead of pursuing a career in aviation. As a judge, Decatur proceeded over more than 10,000 court cases. He also taught at many prestigious law schools, including Howard University, in Washington DC.

Sixty years later, people still approach Decatur to thank him for a job well done. "I was up in Pittsburgh, at a huge air show. I was standing there with my Tuskegee Airmen cap on and a man who had been standing there staring at me finally walked over and said, 'Thank you.' He grabbed me, started hugging me, put his head on my shoulder and started crying," Decatur said.

It turns out the man was a waist gunner aboard a B24 bomber in 1944 that had taken on massive damage. With the pilot already dead, the co-pilot struggled to keep the plane aloft as he tried to return to safety. With silver Luftwafter aircraft circling like vultures above, waiting to chop the crippled bomber out of the sky, the young gunner was convinced he was going to die. Two minutes later, the Tuskegee Airmen appeared and shot two of the German planes out the sky. The other German planes then retreated. The young gunner then heard a voice on the radio that said, "come on we'll take you home, back to safety."

When asked who had the most influence on his life, Decatur answered: "I'd have to say my parents. My father was from the south, my mother too. They caught the freedom train north after World War I and landed in Chicago. My dad used to smile and say 'Someday you'll realize son that you've got to have an education. With an education you can walk with kings.' I'll never forget that. They can take all your worldly goods and everything from you, but they can't take your knowledge," he said.

Pictured above: SCC Diversity Days planning committee with Dr. McGee and Judge Robert Decatur. From L to R: Omar Aguila, Suzanne Tesinsky, Dr. E. Ann McGee, Judge Decatur, Yolanda Williams, Dick Hamann and Lonnie Thompson.

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