Failure: a sign of defeat or future success? Published Nov. 3, 2013 By Senior Airman Melissa Harvey 301st Fighter Wing Public Affairs NAVAL AIR STATION FORT WORTH JOINT RESERVE BASE, Texas -- (Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series on the importance of overcoming failure to reach success. Part one focuses on overcoming the expectation of failure.) For some, the expectation of failure signifies defeat. For others, it is a driving force propelling them toward success. A significant example of overcoming the expectation of failure took place in a tumultuous time in world history. During World War II, U.S. B-17 bombers were being shot down by German fighters because their escorts could not protect them. The solution to this problem was found by using an unlikely group of Airmen to perform escorting duties. They were called the Tuskegee Airmen. According to retired Brig. Gen. Leon A. Johnson, the national president of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., there was a war college study in October 1925 indicating African-Americans lacked the mental capability to lead or work effectively in a group. The study also determined they couldn't fly or maintain airplanes, tanks, or any complicated machinery. African-Americans who participated in the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment ultimately proved people of any race can serve their country. They became pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, and instructors. Personnel were assigned to various training locations depending on the job. Pilots were trained by the Tuskegee Institute at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Ala. Once Airmen graduated, they proved to be an invaluable resource in time of war. Benjamin Davis Jr., a United States Military Academy at West Point graduate, was among the first graduating class of Tuskegee Airmen. Davis would later become commander of the Tuskegee Airmen and first African-American Air Force general. According to documentation at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, by the end of the war, Tuskegee Airmen had shot down 112 enemy aircraft, destroyed another 150 on the ground., knocked out more than 600 railroad cars, and sank one destroyer as well as 40 boats and barges. While Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber they escorted, approximately 150 Airmen gave their lives in combat or in accidents. Despite their victories in war time, there were still many battles to be fought in the struggle for equality in the military. President Harry S. Truman provided significant progress when he signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948. This order directed the "...Highest standards of democracy were essential in the armed services...there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons ... without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." In the end, the determination of the Tuskegee Airmen resulted in a monumental success despite expectations of failure from their leadership. They left a legacy of resilience by overcoming difficulties posed against them through discrimination. They proved to themselves, the nation, and generations to follow, that African-Americans were capable of serving their country with excellence. Their success paved the way for all Americans to have equal opportunity to serve in the U.S. military.