UNIT PROFILE – 99TH FIGHTER SQUADRON (TUSKEGEE AIRMEN)
Among the most iconic units to fight in WWII were the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of all-Black fighter and bomber units which proved that Black airmen were just as capable as their white counterparts.
The leading edge of the Tuskegee Airmen was the 99th Fighter Squadron (originally the 99th Pursuit Squadron). The first of the U.S. Army Air Forces units collectively called the Tuskegee Airmen, the men of the 99th began training in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. #TRADOC#WW2
Armed with P-40 Warhawks, the 99th shipped off to the Mediterranean Theater in APR 1943. Under the command of LTC Benjamin O. Davis Jr. (who went on to become the USAF’s first Black general), the 99th provided critical tactical combat support to U.S. Army operations. @TradocCG
One of the 99th’s earliest exploits was Operation CORKSCREW (18 MAY 1943). Tasked with attacking the island of Pantalleria in advance of an invasion, the 99th was so successful in its bomber escort/ground-attack mission that the island surrendered before troops could land.
Although this was heralded as the first time a fortified position had been captured by airpower alone, the 99th was attacked for its “inferior” combat record, a racist charade dispelled by an analysis of P-40 units which proved the 99th to be the equal of all-white units.
The 99th further proved its mettle in the skies over Italy, providing crucial close air support to the embattled beachhead at Anzio and at Monte Cassino, where its close air support helped breach the Axis positions during the final assaults on Monastery Hill in MAY 1944. #TRADOC
In 1944 the 99th replaced its P-40’s with P-51 Mustangs and flew the iconic fighter through the end of the war; by 1945, three additional all-Black fighter squadrons and one bomber group followed in the 99th’s footsteps and were collectively called the Tuskegee Airmen. @USArmy
In recognition of their valor and skill, the 99th received three Distinguished Unit Citations over the course of the war, and the Tuskegee Airmen as a group were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. #TuskegeeAirmen#RedTails#BlackHistoryMonth#ArmyHeritage#WWII
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
SOLDIER PROFILE – SERGEANT FIRST CLASS ALWYN C. CASHE, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
Born in 1970 SFC Cashe was infantryman who served during 1991’s Operation DESERT STORM and 2003’s Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, earning a posthumous Medal of Honor for his actions in that conflict.
During his third combat tour, SFC Cashe was serving with the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd ID. On the evening of 17 OCT 2005, he was on a patrol when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) struck an IED, crippling the BFV and causing it to burst into flames.
Drenched in fuel, Cashe leapt from the gunner position and ran to BFV’s rear to help soldiers escape. As Cashe braved the flames his fuel-soaked uniform ignited; he persevered despite severe burns, pulling seven soldiers and a translator from the burning BFV. @TradocCG
26 FEBRUARY 1991 - BATTLE OF 73 EASTING - #DesertStorm
In what some have called it the “Last great tank battle of the 20th century” the new U.S. M1A1 Abrams main battle tank received its baptism by fire at the Battle of 73 Easting.
Commanded by then-CPT H.R. McMaster, Eagle Troop was the lead element of the U.S. VII Corps' advance into Iraq. Eagle Troop ran into the Iraqi Republican Guard’s Tawakalna Division at 73 Easting (a north-south coordinate line) on the afternoon of 26 FEB. #GulfWar#M1Abrams
Armed with just nine Abrams tanks and about a dozen Bradley Fighting Vehicles (BFV) against an entire enemy division, the impetuous Eagle Troop advanced while delivering a devastating barrage. In 23 minutes, McMaster’s force had obliterated over half of an Iraqi battalion.
SOLDIER PROFILE – BRIGADIER GENERAL CHARLES YOUNG, FIRST BLACK U.S. ARMY COLONEL
Despite the racism of his time, COL Young forged a stellar career in the late-19th to early-20th century U.S. Army, although promotion to BG was withheld from him for racist reasons.
Born into slavery in 1864, Young grew up in Ohio and attended an integrated high school, where he excelled. He attended West Point, becoming the third Black cadet to graduate despite the hostility of many of his peers. #USArmy#TRADOC#BuffaloSoldier#WWI#IndianWars
Young served in the 9th and 10th Cav. at various western posts, rising to the rank of CPT. He taught military science at Wilberforce University, served two tours in the Philippines, became the first Black superintendent of a national park, and was a foreign military attaché.
After powerful air and naval preparatory bombardments, XI Corps launched a coordinated airborne and amphibious invasion of the strategic rock fortress of Corregidor.
One battalion of the 503d Parachute Regimental Combat Team jumped in on the western portion of the island, followed by an amphibious assault by 3d Battalion of the 34th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), 24th Infantry Division, on San Jose beach southwest of Malinta Hill.
Another battalion of paratroopers dropped later that afternoon. The 503d PRCT and 3d Battalion, 34th RCT quickly joined forces to eliminate the main system of cave and tunnel defenses running through the Malinta Hill district.
Fort Henry on the Tennessee and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland Rivers protected the enemy's rail line of communication in northern Tennessee. Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote's gunboat flotilla transported Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant's U.S. Army troops up the Tennessee River.
The soldiers landed and marched overland to occupy Fort Henry after it surrendered following a heavy naval bombardment. Before he capitulated, the enemy commander sent most of the garrison to Fort Donelson, ten miles away, while the rest of their army retreated toward Nashville.
SOLDIER PROFILE – SERGEANT WILLIAM CARNEY, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT
One of 18 Black Civil War soldiers to earn the Medal of Honor, SGT Carney was an ex-slave who fought for the cause of liberty as part of the famous 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment. #Armyhistory
Born a slave in Virginia, Carney liberated himself and settled in Massachusetts, where he joined the 54th in 1863. He earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Second Battle of Ft. Wagner, where the 54th heroically assaulted enemy fortifications against huge odds. @USArmy
As the 54th charged across open ground towards Ft. Wagner, several of the 54th’s color bearers fell in quick succession under withering fire. Despite having been wounded, Carney saw the flag begin to fall and threw away his rifle, seizing the colors and holding them aloft.