99th Fighter Squadron Officers
NOTE: For historical photographs or information regarding the Tuskegee Airmen, contact: Maxwell Air Force Base by e-mail at afhranews@maxwell.af.mil or write the Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 36112-6424.
Year 2003 marked the 60th Anniversary of the 99th Fighter Squadron's departure from Tuskegee Army Air Field.
The late-Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., former professor of military science and tactics at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Êͼ¹ÒÅÆ, commanded the Squadron. The team of aviators, including 42 officers and 287 enlisted personnel, departed April 2 for Camp Shanks, N.Y., en route to Casablanca, Morocco, North Africa. They arrived on April 24, 1943.
The Squadron moved from North Africa to Sicily, then to Foggia, Italy on Oct. 17, 1943. There the Airmen joined Col. Earl E. Bates, Jr., Commanding Officer of the 79th (White) Fighter Group who integrated the 99th Fighter Squadron. The Airmen remained with the 79th over Anzio in 1944.
The Airmen's success during World War II – not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions – is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.
Their exemplary combat performance, including the destruction of 260 enemy aircraft, earned them more than 850 medals and persuaded then-U.S. President Harry S. Truman in 1948 to issue Executive Order 9981, desegregating the U.S. Military.
Officers of the 99th Fighter Squadron included:
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| NAME | RANK | CLASS | DUTIES | HOMETOWN |
| Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. | Lt. Col. | 42C | Commanding Officer | Washington, D.C. |
| Ashley, Willie Jr. | 2nd Lt. | 42C | Pilot* | Sumter, SC |
| Bolling, George R. | 2nd Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Hampton, VA |
| Brooks, Sidney P. | 1st Lt. | 42D | Pilot | Cleveland, OH |
| Bruce, Samuel M. | 2nd Lt. | 42H | Pilot | Seattle, WA |
| Campbell, William A. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot* | Tuskegee, AL |
| Carter, Herbert E. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot/Engineering Officer | Armory, MS |
| Clark, Herbert V. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Pine Bluff, AR |
| Currie, George R. | 2nd Lt. | Ordinance Officer | Los Angeles, CA | |
| Custis, Lemuel R. | Capt. | 42C | Pilot* | Hartfort, CT |
| Dryden, Charles W. | 1st Lt. | 42D | Pilot | Bronx, NY |
| Freeman, James O. | 2nd Lt. | Ord. Det. #99 | Jamaica, IL | |
| Fuller, Willie H. | 2nd Lt. | 42G | Pilot | Tarboro, NC |
| Hall, Charles B. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot*** | Brazil, IN |
| Jamison, Clarence C. | 1st Lt. | 42D | Pilot | Cleveland, OH |
| Johnson, Hayden C. | Capt. | Adjutant | Washington, D.C. | |
| Johnson, James L. Jr. | 1st Lt. | Technical Supply Officer | Washington, D.C. | |
| Johnson, Maurice E. | Capt. | Medical Officer | Washington, D.C. | |
| Jones, Elmer D. Jr. | Capt. | CO AF Ser Det #99 | Washington, D.C. | |
| Knighten, James B. | 1st Lt. | 42E | Pilot | Tulsa, OK |
| Lane, Allen G. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Demopolis, AL |
| Lawrence, Erwin B. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot/Assistant Operations Officer | Cleveland, OH |
| Lawson, Walter I. | 2nd Lt. | 42G | Pilot | Newton, VA |
| Letcher, Henry M. | 1st Lt. | Transportation Officer | Washington, D.C. | |
| Malone, Thomas | 1st Lt. | Adjutant/AFSD #99 | Detroit, MI | |
| McCullin, James L. | 2nd Lt. | 42H | Pilot | St. Louis, MO |
| Mitchell, Paul O. | 2nd Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Washington, D.C. |
| Pettross, George E. | 1st Lt. | Personnel Adjutant | Washington, D.C. | |
| Proctor, Bernard S. |
1st Lt. |
Mess Officer/Adjutant | Glenolden, PA | |
| Purnell, Louis R. | 2nd Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Germantown, PA |
| Rayford, Lee | 1st Lt. | 42E | Pilot | Washington, D.C. |
| Roberts, George S. | Capt. | 42C | Pilot/Operations Officer | Fairmont, WV |
| Roberts, Leon C. | 2nd Lt. | 42G | Pilot* | Prichard, AL |
| Rogers, John W. | 2nd Lt. | 42G | Pilot | Chicago, IL |
| Smith, Graham | 2nd Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Ahoskie, NC |
| Stevenson, Dudley W. | 1st Lt. | Communications Officer | Washington, D.C. | |
| Thompson, William R. | 1st Lt. | Armament Officer | Pittsburg, PA | |
| Vincent, Cornelius Jr. | 1st Lt. | Intelligence Officer | Boston, MA | |
| Watson, Spann | 2nd Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Hackensack, NJ |
| White, Sherman W. | 1st Lt. | 42E | Pilot | Montgomery, AL |
| Wiley, James T. | 1st Lt. | 42F | Pilot | Pittsburg, PA |
| Wimp, Benote H. | 1st Lt. | Administrative Supply Officer | Chicago, IL |
*Enemy Aircraft shot down during World War II.
Information provided by 1st Lt. Bernard S. Proctor