Willie H. Fuller
Captain Willie H. Fuller | |
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332nd Fighter Group | |
Awards |
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Tuskegee Institute Bachelor's degree Mechanical Industries | |
Spouse(s) | Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller |
Willie Howell Fuller (August 2, 1919 – January 3, 1995) was a
On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G.[3][5][6][7][8]
As he told Boys' Life: "Everybody figured that we could not fly and deliver under pressure. We wanted to prove that we could."[9] He was later honored by the Dade County (FL) Aviation Department and Florida Memorial College as part of their Blacks in Aviation Celebration for his contributions to the aviation industry.[10]
Early life
Fuller was born on August 2, 1919, in
Following his military service, Fuller married Willie (Billie) Dunson Fuller.[13]
Military career
Fuller received a certificate for military excellence, as a Cadet Second Lieutenant, in May 1940.
On August 5, 1942, Fuller graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G, receiving his wings and commission as a
During
In 1944, Fuller was transferred back to the United States, where he served as a flight instructor in Tuskegee Army Air Field's advanced single-engine flying school.[citation needed] Fuller and several of his fellow airmen posed with actress Lena Horne for a photo during her visit to Tuskegee.[22]
Fuller and several members of the 99th Fighter Squadron were invited to an upscale
In 1947, Fuller was discharged from active military duty.[11][4] He later became a Captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.[11]
Awards
- Air Medal with oak leaf cluster
- Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006[24]
- He was honored in 1993 by the Dade County (FL) Aviation Department and Florida Memorial College’s Division of Airway and Computer Sciences for his contribution to aviation.[10]
Post-military
After his service in the military, Fuller trained civilian pilots in North Carolina.[4] Later, he and his wife moved to LaGrange, Georgia, where he created the first African American owned taxi cab company there.[4] He also taught civilian pilots how to fly.[22][4]
By 1984, Fuller and his wife lived in Miami, Florida,[25][26] having left Lagrange to work with the Boy Scouts in South Florida; he would serve as District Executive with the South Florida Council, overseeing scouting in Dade, Broward and Monroe Counties.[11][22][9][4] He retired in 1982.[4]
Death
Fuller died of a heart attack on January 3, 1995, at the age of 75.[4] He was interred at the Monumental Garden South in Dade Memorial Park, Opa-locka, Florida.[citation needed]
See also
- List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes
- List of Tuskegee Airmen
- Military history of African Americans
- Dogfights (TV series)
- Executive Order 9981
- The Tuskegee Airmen (movie)
References
- ^ The Tuskegee Airmen trained with the P-40 aircraft. Later the Tuskegee Airmen became known for flying the P-51 aircraft with red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.[14]
- ^ Lena Horne performed for members of the United States military many times. Often she was required to perform for white troops first. She could only perform for the black troops the next day in a separate blacks only mess hall.[15] She performed for the first black pilots, (the Tuskegee airmen) during World War II.[16]
Notes
- ^ "'Lonely Eagles' flew to fight color barrier". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. December 25, 1984. p. 38.
- ^ Haulman, Daniel. "Tuskegee Airmen Chronology" (PDF). CAF Rise above. CAF. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Willie Howell Fuller". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. January 4, 1995. p. 22.
- ^ CAF Rise Above. "Class SE-42-G." https://cafriseabove.org/artifact/class-se-42-g/
- ^ a b "99th Fighter Squadron Discusses Air Action Over Anzio". The World War II Multimedia Database. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ISBN 9781300238287.
- ISBN 978-1588382443.
- ^ a b "Tuskegee Airmen". Boys' Life: 40. February 1994. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "Scholarships in Honor of Blacks in Aviation Given at Florida College". Jet: 22. March 29, 1993. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "The Tuskegee Airmen". Aviation Online Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ A Brief Moment in LaGrange's History: Tuskegee Airman Willie Fuller, retrieved September 26, 2021
- ISBN 9781610607605. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
- ^ Pilkington, Ed (May 10, 2010). "Lena Horne: a silken voice and fiery pride". Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-7385-8768-4. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Cadet Officers Receive Awards". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. May 21, 1940. p. 10.
- ^ Lovejoy, Andrea (January 13, 2012). "Willie Fuller; LaGrange's Tuskegee airman". LaGrange Daily News. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ Cadet Willie H. Fuller. Getty Images
- ^ "More Tuskegee Men Get Wings". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 15, 1942. p. 5.
- ^ "What Negroes Are Doing". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. August 16, 1942. p. 11.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7385-8768-4. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ a b Thomas D. Boettcher (September 30, 1982). "The hard-won successes of pioneer black pilots". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ "Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen" (PDF). Congress.gov. US Library of Congress. April 11, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "Exhibit Honors 'Lonely Eagles'". The Times Recorder. Zanesville, Ohio. January 6, 1985. p. 19.
- ^ "Tale of heroic black pilots unfolds". The Times News. Associated Press. December 23, 1984. Retrieved October 6, 2021.