Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia
Renowned Tuskegee Airman, Alexander Jefferson, passed away at 100 years old.
In November, Jefferson was awarded the key to Detroit, given the honor of having a plaza constructed after him, Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson Plaza, and had Jefferson Field in Rouge Park rededicated in his honor.
The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as The Red Tails, were the nation’s first African American military pilots who fought in World War II.
According to The National WWII Museum, there were 992 Tuskegee Airmen pilots trained in Tuskegee, Alabama. However, including ground personnel, the count surpassed 14,000.
“We went through a period of nine months at Tuskegee Army Airfield where you really become a pilot,” Jefferson said of training in Alabama.
A Detroit native, Jefferson graduated from Tuskegee Army Air Field’s pilot training in 1944.
He served in World War II as a P-51 fighter pilot and flew 18 missions before being shot down in 1944.
“My role was a fighter pilot, escorting the bombers from Italy to Germany, Italy to Czechoslovakia, flying P51 Mustangs, having a heck of a good time,” Jefferson said.
“That’s where German 20 mm came up through the floor and went out through the top of the ceiling,” Jefferson said. “And the darn fire came up out of the floor, burned the gloves. I had to pull up and bailout.”
He was held by Nazis as a prisoner in Poland for eight months before being honorably discharged from active duty in 1947.
Jefferson then retired from the reserves in 1969 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After the war, Jefferson was a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier before becoming a Detroit public school science teacher. In 1979, he retired from his role as an assistant principal
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said, “Col. Jefferson not only represented the best of Detroit and our nation, he represented the very best of humanity.
He continued, “As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, he helped to win the war, and despite spending eight months as a prisoner of war, he emerged with his same kindness and generosity of spirit. He came back to Detroit to continue his service as an educator and made a lasting impact on countless young lives. He is profoundly deserving of the recognition he will receive when the plaza named in his honor opens next year. Our city and our world are better places because of Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson.”
Jefferson received several awards including the Purple Heart, Air Force Achievement Medal, World War II Victory Medal, The Congressional Gold Medal and was inducted into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame.
We thank Jefferson for his honorable life and service.