First African American to shoot down an enemy aircraft - Midwest City, Oklahoma
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Max and 99
N 35° 26.010 W 097° 24.280
14S E 644811 N 3922287
Statue of Tuskegee Airman Charles B Hall, located at Tinker Air Park
Waymark Code: WM8JXJ
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2010
Views: 15
Text on plaque:
Major Charles B Hall
&
The Tuskegee Airmen
On 2 July 1943, then 1 Lt. Charles B. Hall of Brazil, Indiana, a Tuskegee Airman trained at Tuskegee Field, AL, earned the distinction of being the first African-American to shoot down an enemy aircraft from his P-40 fighter over Tunisia, North Africa.
Major Charles B. Hall went on to score a total of three aerial victories in combat. Major Hall moved to Oklahoma City after his military service and worked at Tinker Air Force Base for the Federal Aviation Administration until his death on 22 November 1971.
Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a total of 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 744 air Medals, 8 Purple Hearts and 14 Bronze Stars for their services in combat. The full measure of their efforts, buoyed by their tenacity in the face of overwhelming odds, rampant discrimination and often deplorable conditions and treatment, is a testimony to the integrity of the Tuskegee Airmen. Indeed, the success of these airmen contributed greatly to the eventual racial integration of the US military.
This site is dedicated to Major Charles B Hall and the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 07/02/1943
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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