301st Members Honor Tuskegee Airmen at DFW

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Martha Whipple
  • 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, TEXAS --  Members of the 301st Fighter Wing gathered at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to form a "path of honor" for four Tuskegee Airmen who were traveling from Dallas to Montgomery, Ala., Sept. 14.

Flight Officer Robert McDaniel, Capt. Claude Platte, Staff Sgt. Homer Houges and Lt. Calvin Spann received a hero's farewell as the four men and their families departed DFW for Alabama to attend "An Evening with the Red Tails" event at Tuskegee University.

Hundreds of travelers and airport staff gathered around as the men and women in uniform lined the "path of honor." The group of Tuskegee Airmen and their families were escorted down the path as onlookers cheered. The military members rendered a salute, and the 301st FW Honor Guard displayed the American flag at table-top position at the end of the path, while "The Star-Spangled Banner" played.

Senior Master Sgt. Graciela Vargas, 301st FW Honor Guard, said she feels connected to the Tuskegee Airmen. She first learned about the legendary group in basic training through a military history session. In 2009, Vargas deployed to Balad, Iraq with the 332nd Fighter Squadron, which was the same squadron some of the Tuskegee Airmen were assigned to in the 1940s, and said she was honored to be a part of the Red Tails heritage.

Tech. Sgt. Shalena Robinson, 301st Medical Support Squadron, was also at DFW to support these veterans. She said she was near tears seeing them because they did so much for generations of African Americans in the Air Force.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first all-black squadron in the U.S. military. They served during World War II, a time when blacks were fighting for social equality in America and in the armed forces. The military was segregated at the time, and blacks were not allowed to hold a position of leadership.

Platte said he was happy and humbled to see so many uniformed members and civilians supporting them.