At the beginning of WWII, U.S. War Department leaders did not believe that African American soldiers were up to the task of flying airplanes, but President Franklin D. Roosevelt thought otherwise and ordered the U.S. Army Air Corps to train African American soldiers to fly.

By 1942, the first class of African American cadets graduated from Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama. They, and those who followed, would become known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In all, nearly 1,000 pilots and 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, mechanics, air traffic control tower and support staff were trained at Tuskegee.

On Tuesday, Aug. 22, community members and local and state elected officials welcomed the Commemorative Air Force, or CAF, RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit to the Manassas Regional Airport. According to the CAF RISE ABOVE website, the exhibit is part an “educational outreach program that brings the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots to life in communities and classrooms everywhere.” The exhibit includes a fully restored WWII-era P-51C Mustang fighter plane and a mobile movie theater featuring stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). CAF experts will be on hand at the exhibit to talk about the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as the 1,074 women of the WASPs, who flew more than 12,600 aircraft of different makes and models to and from various air bases in the United States to support the war effort.

The exhibit, sponsored by Epsilon Sigma Boulé, will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Aug. 26, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27. The event is free to the public. 

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was one of the officials that attended the opening ceremony for the exhibit and said the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASPs represented an attainable dream.

“These men and women did not see America as it was, but they saw America as it could be – a nation where freedom exists not just for some, but for all – a nation where the privileges, where the freedoms, where the liberties must be fought for, must be defended; and they, too, played an immeasurable part in securing our collective freedoms and liberty,” Youngkin said.

“They flipped the cloud curtain. They ascended into the deep blue. They made the world down below better. That is why this exhibit is so important. That is why we need to capture the stories and make them accessible to everyone, particularly our young people,” Youngkin said. “Aim high. Believe in yourself. Never quit. Be ready to go. Use your brain and expect to win. These are the guiding principles behind this exhibit.”

Prince William County Woodbridge District Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin presented a commendation on behalf of the Board of Supervisors at the opening ceremony recognizing the Red Tails for their bravery and dedication that have been “an inspiration to generations of Americans.”

The commendation further recognized the WASPs for conducting test flights along with other non-combat duties and for “demonstrating immense capabilities and contributions of women in the field of aviation,” and expressed gratitude to the CAF and the RISE ABOVE exhibit for “ensuring that the stories of these extraordinary individuals continue to resonate and inspire for years to come.”

The full video of the opening ceremony event is available here.

More information about the exhibit can be found here: https://www.pwcva.gov/events/tribute-tuskegee-airmen-and-women-airforce-service-pilots-coming-manassas-regional-airport.