Kill Devil Hills
February 19, 2003

The dedication, determination and spirit of a special group of African American aviators will be celebrated this month at Wright Brothers National Memorial as part of the State of North Carolina's and National Park Service's Black History Month observance. Tuskegee Airmen from the Wilson V. Eagleson Chapter of Goldsboro including several from Elizabeth City will visit the birthplace of flight on February 21 and 22 to participate in a two-day program including exhibits, visits to Dare County Schools, and a special ceremony at Wright Brothers National Memorial. The Saturday, February 22 ceremony will be from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Wright Memorial Visitor Center.

"The Tuskegee Airmen represent an important aspect of our nation's history and serve as a model to anyone confronting challenges to be overcome," stated Lawrence A. Belli, Superintendent, National Park Service, Outer Banks Group. "We are honored to have these gentlemen at the park site for this weekend's program."

The Tuskegee Airmen plan to visit several area schools to provide lesson plans on their rich history, and will present each school with a poster. The students' projects will be judged by the Tuskegee Airmen and are scheduled to be on display at Wright Brothers National Memorial on Friday and Saturday.

Special guests at Saturday's ceremony include Colonel Hal King, USAF (Ret.); Lieutenant General John D. Hopper, Jr. Vice Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas; and William "Bill" W. Williams, Aviation Director for North Carolina Department of Transportation, Division of Aviation.

During Saturday's ceremony, Steven Saunders, Jr., an 11-year-old First Flight Elementary student and member of the Wright Flight Program, will receive his qualification to fly. Plans call for Saunders to make a flight with one of the visiting Tuskegee Airmen. The Wright Flight program's official aircraft, Wright Flight Plane, will be on display at the First Flight Airstrip.

Two exhibits, Black Wings, from the National Park Service Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and Keeping Alive the Legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, from Seven of Sevenate will be on display for the general public at the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center from 9 a.m. ? 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. At 9 a.m. on Saturday a special video presentation on the Tuskegee Airmen will be shown.

The Tuskegee Airmen program is sponsored by RBC Centura. "RBC Centura is proud to support this interactive educational program. Like flight, RBC Centura has grown from beginnings in eastern North Carolina. We know that both educational value and economic value will be delivered by the First Flight Centennial Celebration, and we want to be part of that," said Tom Rogers, group executive officer, community development and corporate affairs. Superintendent Belli, on behalf on the National Park Service, gratefully thanks RBC Centura for their support of this program.

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated young soldiers who volunteered to become America's first black military airmen in what was termed a "Noble Experiment" more than fifty years ago. Those who were accepted for aviation cadet training and who became single-or multi-engine pilots were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. From 1942 to 1946, nine hundred and ninety-two African Americans graduated in aviation cadet classes at Tuskegee, and also received commissions and pilot's wings. The present-day mission of the Tuskegee Airmen is to inspire young people to study, sacrifice, and attain self-sustaining status with marketable skills in the fields of aviation and aerospace.

Applicable park entry fees will apply for the event.

Contact:

Erin Porter
(252) 441-6291 ext.224
(252) 441 2828 (fax)
ErinPorterNPS@aol.com