Clarence D. Lester: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 03:20, 6 May 2018
Clarence D. Lester | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Lucky |
| Born | February 23, 1923 Richmond, Richmond City, Virginia |
| Died | March 17, 1986 (aged 63) [1] Washington, District of Columbia, District Of Columbia, USA |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, USA |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 322nd Fighter Squadron Tuskegee Airmen |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester (February 23, 1923 – March 17, 1986) was an African-American fighter pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group, commonly known as the Tuskegee Airmen, during World War II. He was one of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force.[2] [3] Lester was one of two pilots who shot down three Fw 190s or Me 109s on a single mission, the other pilot was Captain Joseph Elsberry. [4]
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel. Lester recalls that "Being a black pilot in the 1940s was like being a pro athlete today ... We knew we were special, that we would have to prove something. This was the first chance blacks had had outside of working in the kitchen or the possiblity of being a truck driver." [5]
Bibliography
Notes
- ^ Find a Grave 2018
- ^ Hardesty 2008
- ^ Homan & Reilly 2001, p. 136
- ^ Nalty 1989, p. 153
- ^ Campbell 1983
References
- Campbell, Crispin Y. (February 23, 1983). "Black Pilots Of '40s Charted New Horizons". Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Find a Grave (2018). "Col Clarence D. "Lucky" Lester". Find a Grave. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
{{cite web}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Hardesty, Von (2008). Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780061261381.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Total pages: 180 - Homan, Lynn; Reilly, Thomas (2001). Black Knights: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 9781455601257.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Total pages: 336 - Nalty, Bernard C. (1989). Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780029224113.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Total pages: 424
- 1923 births
- 1986 deaths
- African-American military personnel
- American World War II flying aces
- Aviators from Virginia
- People from People from Richmond, Virginia
- Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
- Recipients of the Air Medal
- Tuskegee Airmen
- United States Air Force officers
- United States Army Air Forces officers