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Original Tuskegee ace passes away

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Stefan Alford
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  The "Red Tails" of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here mourn the passing of one of their own, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen and the service's only African-American fighter ace. Colonel Archer died in New York, Jan. 27, at the age of 90.

A memorial service is scheduled Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the Gilbert Memorial Chapel in H6 housing to honor Colonel Archer's legacy.

Colonel Archer graduated from pilot training in July 1943 from the segregated Army Air Corps unit at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Ala. He flew combat missions in the P-51C Mustang in the European theater, where he downed five enemy aircraft. He was initially credited with 4.5 aerial victories, after his wingman was also credited with helping down one of enemy aircraft.

A review five decades later restored the full kill, noting that the wingman had fired a burst at the stricken Bf 109 Messerschmitt, but only after Colonel Archer had already inflicted the crippling damage that disintegrated the enemy fighter's left wing and sent it spiraling toward the ground.

Colonel Archer was among the group of Tuskegee Airmen invited to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama in 2009. In addition, he and approximately 300 other surviving Tuskegee Airmen were presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the Congress, in 2007 by President George W. Bush.

Colonel Archer retired from military service in 1970 and went on to become the vice president of General Foods, retiring from there in 1987.

Nearly 1,000 Tuskegee Airmen earned their wings and officer commissions in the Army Air Corps during World War II. More than 400 would experience combat over the skies of Europe. They made up the 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302nd Fighter Squadrons that eventually formed the 332nd Fighter Group.

American bomber crews called them the "Redtail Angels." This was because of their bright red-painted tail assemblies and their disciplined defense of bombers from enemy fighters. They also participated in air-to-ground attacks on enemy targets both on land and at sea.

Sixty-six Tuskegee Airmen were killed in action, while another 32 became prisoners of war. The pilots earned more than 150 major awards and distinctions, including Silver Stars, Distinguished Flying Crosses, Bronze Stars, Legions of Merit, and a Presidential Unit Citation.

The 332nd Fighter Group was inactivated in 1949. In 1998, the 332nd was reactivated as an air expeditionary group at Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait. The unit moved to Balad Air Base, Iraq, in February 2004, as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. Currently, it is the most forward-deployed combat wing in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

An estimated 50-60 of the original 994 Tuskegee Airmen pilots are still alive.