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Tuskegee Airman lineage ties family generations

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Thomas Trower
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing's lineage not only holds a link between the past and present of the Air Force, it also connects two generations of one Tuskegee Airman family here.

Master Sgt. Jonathon Curl, the 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron chief of passenger travel, carries on the legacy set forth by his grandfather -- Staff Sgt. Cecil Curl, a former World War II U.S. Army Air Forces crew chief for the first exclusively African-American unit in combat, the 332nd Fighter Group.

"I'm definitely very proud about being linked to my grandfather's service," said the younger Curl, who is deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan. "He didn't talk much about his service in the military, and most of the family didn't even know he had served until he passed away.

"I think many times people in the military don't understand the significance of their actions," he added. "They do what they have to do and don't think there's anything special about it. You don't really realize until later that it was significant."

Curl arrived at the 332nd AEW in early September.

"When I got here, I was talking to my grandmother, and I told her, 'Grandma, you're not going to believe this, I'm a Tuskegee Airman!" Curl said. "She said, 'What?' And I told her, 'I'm assigned to the same unit Grandpa was.' She said, 'No, they don't exist anymore.' And I convinced her, 'Yes they do!'"

The 332nd AEW began its history July 4, 1942, when the Tuskegee Airmen established the 332nd FG at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Ala. The unit was the first to train African-American pilots, mechanics and other support personnel.

The Curl family has a long history of military service.

"Everyone joins (the military) -- mostly Air Force, some Army, even the Marines," Curl said. "If they haven't served in the military, then they have done government service. I think everyone should serve in the military or do some type of public service. It teaches you to appreciate what you have and why you have it."

His grandfather served as a crew chief for a Curtiss P-40, dubbed "A-Train II." The commander of the aircraft, retired Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, recalls his work in Africa in 1943 with Cecil as part of the 99th Fighter Squadron in his book titled "A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman."

"We ferried our planes from the depot to our field and promptly began getting acquainted with our assigned plane and ground crew," Dryden writes. "Staff Sergeant Cecil Curl and Corporal Fritz Mayers were my crew chief and armorer, respectively. Like me, they were both from New York, so what could be more fitting than to give our high-speed 'baby' the same name as the famous subway express in New York: A-Train."

Dryden also portrays in the book the warm welcome he received one day from Cecil after landing after running into trouble during a mission. Cecil knew that his pilot had a busy day when he found a grapefruit-sized hole in the wing. Inside, 29 of the 32 aileron control cables had snapped.

The Tuskegee Airmen continued to complete the missions assigned to them. During the Summer of 1944, the 332nd FG began flying P-51 Mustangs. The Tuskegee Airmen painted the tails of their aircraft crimson to distinguish them from fighters of other groups. This trademark led to the nickname "Red Tail," which is still in use today by 332nd AEW leadership.

After the 332nd FG relocated several times and was inactivated for two years, the unit reactivated and assumed the level of a wing. It eventually inactivated on July 1, 1949. The Tuskegee Airmen hold a prestigious and honorable flying record of 1,578 missions and 15,533 sorties, achieving 109 aerial kills and 152 aircraft destroyed on the ground. Their achievements came at a cost however -- 66 brave Airmen died in action and 32 were held as prisoners of war.

The 332nd's heritage was determined to live on, however, and after nearly five decades of inactivity the 332nd FG escaped from the history books and reactivated as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Group on Dec. 1, 1998. Four years later, the group was elevated to wing status as the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

Today, Curl contributes to Operation Iraqi Freedom by ensuring deployed Airmen make it home safely after completing their deployments.

Jonathon said he knows that current events in Operation Iraqi Freedom are making a difference in the world.

Today, the 332nd AEW is the most forward deployed Air Force wing in Operation Iraqi Freedom and hosts the busiest single runway operation in the U.S. Department of Defense. It is comprised of eight groups, including three geographically separated units -- the 407th, 447th and 506th Air Expeditionary Groups located respectively at Ali, Sather and Kirkuk Air Bases.

"I know I'm making history.... These events will be written down somewhere," said Curl about his second deployment to Iraq. "I want my grandkids to know I was a good person, and I did everything I could.

"I am very proud of the opportunity to follow this lineage and keep up my family tradition of service to our country," said the San Antonio native. "Hopefully I will make everyone just as proud of my time here in the desert as they are of the original Tuskegee Airmen."
Editor's note: Excerpts from 332nd AEW Historian Office publications were used to document the Tuskegee Airman lineage.