Fans of the Washington Football Team: this could be you. You could be the Red Tails, looking stylish every Sunday. Make the right choice.
This week, the Air Force football team introduced new uniforms honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. These uniforms were showcased on Monday as part of the 2020 Air Power Legacy Series.
This year signifies the fifth season of the Air Power Legacy Series, as stated by the Air Force football team.
According to the official website of Air Force Football:
These uniforms are gray with black lettering. The helmets have a chrome base featuring the P-51 aircraft flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, with iconic red tails and nose that distinguished the squadron. The helmet showcases the patches of the four squadrons: the 99th, 100th, 301st, and 302nd. The pants include an authentic stenciled infographic on the side. The customized nameplate on the jersey reads Red Tails, inspired by the hand-lettered names painted on the P-51 aircraft.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots from the U.S. Army Air Corps, commissioned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in September 1940. Their training commenced at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama. Over 900 pilots graduated from the program, with more than 350 serving in active duty as fighter pilots.
In early 1944, the 99th was joined by the 100th, 301st, and 302nd to form the 332nd Fighter Group, the sole African-American fighter group in the Army Air Corps with four squadrons. Assigned the color red for identification, the 332nd became known as the Red Tails and Red Tail Angels for their success escorting bombers into enemy territory.
The 332nd was credited with downing 12 German planes in two days in January 1944, flew over 15,000 sorties, and shot down a total of 112 enemy planes. The unit earned 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and three Distinguished Unit Citations. The achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen were pivotal in laying the groundwork for the civil rights movement and influenced President Harry Truman’s decision to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.
Air Force will premiere these uniforms against Navy on Oct. 3rd in Falcon Stadium.
