Housed at Tuskegee University’s Moton Field, the Basic and Advanced Flying School for Negro Air Corps Cadets trained airmen in WWII for the 99th fighter group. That group would eventually become the 332nd Fighter Group (now the 332d Expeditionary Operations Group) and the 477th Bombadier Group (now the 477th Fighter Group).
While composed of all-black flight crews, the “Tuskegee Airmen” encompassed a much broader term than just those fighters and bombers: it included nurses, mechanics, support staff, logistics, crew chiefs, cooks, and many others who supported the Airmen operations. Many would be surprised to learn that of the 10:1 support personnel-to-pilot ratio in the Airmen, the support groups also included Native Americans, Latinos, and even some white personnel.