"They didn't want you to succeed, and they did everything they could to keep you from succeeding." (Audio Interview, 37:59)

Harry W. Leavell

Harry Leavell, 2002 War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Army Air Forces/Corps Unit: 1170th CLD, Tuskegee Army Airmen, 1868th Aviation Engineer Battalion Service Location: Keesler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi; Tuskegee Institute, Alabama; Tampa, Florida; Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina; Guam (Mariana Islands) Rank: First Sergeant Place of Birth: Richmond, IN

Harry Leavell's aspirations to become a fighter pilot in World War II were dashed by personal setbacks. He trained at Tuskegee, the legendary school that produced the famed eponymous airmen, noting how important Colonel Benjamin O. Davis and his West-Point bred code of honor were for the men's morale. Leavell lost both of his parents to natural causes early in his military career, and he admits he also lost his zeal for flying. But he became an engineer and served an important support role in the Pacific Theater. He also saw first-hand many incidents of subtle and overt racism designed to hold back his colleagues.