There has been long-standing debate over who qualifies as a Tuskegee Airmen. One camp says only those who graduated from the program and saw combat in Europe should qualify. Another camp contends that the designation should apply to all those who graduated from the five year program and can document their claim ie. they were a cadet who successfully completed training regardless of whether he saw combat in World War II. Others say it should be expanded to include undocumented claimants as well, because over the years fires and other problems caused documents to be lost. Still others say it should include anyone who was in the program, regardless if they graduated or not. Finally others say it should include the flight instructor pilots, flight training instructors, aircraft mechanics, medical personnel, officers (white and black) and even the cooks and groundskeepers at the Tuskegee Air Field during World War II, which totals over 14,000 men and women both civilians and military personnel.[1]
To provide clarity, the classification of "Documented Original Tuskegee Airman" (DOTA) was drafted by the Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated group to define who was included, and to provide a way for Tuskegee participants to be accredited through documentation.[2] The definition is "Anyone -- man or woman, military or civilian, black or white -- who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field or in any of the programs stemming from the 'Tuskegee Experience' between the years 1941-1949 is considered to be a documented Original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA)."[3] The 2007 Congressional Gold Medal was initially given to 994 black military pilots,[4] over the years since then it has expanded to include anyone who is a Documented Original Tuskegee Airman which could be as many as 19,000 people; for example in 2018, the black female typist Artisihia May Stephens was posthumously awarded the CGM after she was "officially vetted as a documented original Tuskegee Airman" with the help of U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester.[5]
References
- ^ Edmond Davis (September 19, 2012). "Arkansas Pioneers in Flight: African Americans in Aviation from the Natural State, 1932 to 1953". Black Past. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ Daniel Haulman (2015). "FAQ 69. What is a DOTA?". Tuskegee Airmen Questions and Answers for Students and Teachers. NewSouth Books. p. 31.
- ^ Daniel Haulman (2015). "FAQ 1. Who were the Tuskegeee Airmen?". Tuskegee Airmen Questions and Answers for Students and Teachers. NewSouth Books. p. 31.
- ^ Rangel,Charles B. (April 11, 2006). "Tuskegee Airmen Gold Medal Signed Into Law". Press Release. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ Glen Rolfe (November 18, 2018). "Congressional Gold Medal solidifies Artishia's Tuskegee Airman honor". Delaware State News. Archived from the original on 2018-12-01.