Re: Death of a Legend

Ed Rasimus wrote:
On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:06:51 -0400, Dudley Henriques
<dhenriques@xxxxxxx> wrote:

Tex Houston wrote:
Tuskegee Airman dies

6/30/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Retired Lt. Col. Charles Dryden, 87, one of the famed "Tuskegee Airmen" who broke the military's color barrier by becoming a World War II fighter pilot, died June 24 in Atlanta.

RIP A-Train.

Tex Houston



Let me join you Tex. What a wonderful group of gentleman these guys were and in all to little cases ARE.
I had the pleasure of bumping into Luther Smith in a parking lot a couple of years ago. Luther stood there on his two crutches as we swapped P51 stories for quite a while. What a guy. I often think of him and wonder how he's doing. I ought to call him. He lives near me. Come to think of it, I will call him.

Very true. Had the great pleasure of meeting and working with Lt. Col.
Clarence Shivers and his gracious wife Peggy while I served for ten
years on the Board of Trustees of the Pikes Peak Library District.

She was a well-known operatic soprano (retired) and both were great
patrons of the arts, giving generously of their time and money to the
library and Colorado Springs community. They endowed an
African-American collection for the library which was very well used
and well-regarded nationally.

Great folks. Clarence passed away a bit over a year ago. Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
www.thundertales.blogspot.com
www.thunderchief.org

It seems a lot of the Tuskegee guys went on to great accomplishment in their lives after the war.
Here's some background on Luther Smith for those interested.


Luther H. Smith of Villanova, PA, is a retired U.S. Air Force captain who flew 133 combat missions in World War II, and is a retired General Electric Co. engineer with 37 years service and two U.S. patents. A native of Des Moines, IA, Captain Smith is an original member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen. He flew 133 missions and is credited with destroying two German enemy aircraft in aerial combat and 10 German aircraft in ground strafing missions. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart, eight European and Mediterranean Theaters Campaign Ribbons, and the Prisoner of War Medal after being permanently injured on his final combat mission, parachuting while unconscious from his burning P-51 Mustang aircraft, and held as a prisoner for seven months until the war ended.
After earning his B.S. degree at The University of Iowa, Captain Smith worked for GE’s Missile and Space Operations in Philadelphia until his retirement in 1988. He holds two U.S. patents, has published numerous technical documents and publications, and has worked on special assignments with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and U.S. Navy Submarine Command. Captain Smith is a recipient of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Aerospace International, Franklin W. Kolk Aerospace Industry Award. He has served on the Architect-Engineer Evaluation Jury that chose the design for the World War II Memorial, and has worked tirelessly to gain recognition for the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen. In June 2004, he headed the 60th anniversary celebration of the Tuskegee Airmen’s greatest World War II achievement, escorting American heavy strategic bombers on 200 missions throughout Europe with the loss of a single bomber to enemy aircraft.
Moreover, Captain Smith has contributed significantly to the achievement of racial equality in the U.S. and the world and helped change the face of the U.S. military in a remarkably short period of time. In 2005, he was inducted as a member of the College of Engineering's Distinguished Engineering Alumni Academy. In February 2006, Smith received an honorary doctorate degree in public service from Tuskegee University. In June 2006, he was awarded the UI Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award for Achievement and in October 2006 he was inducted into the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame. In March 2007, Smith was presented the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by the U.S. Congress.


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--
Dudley Henriques
.

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