Tuskegee Airman to Speak in Winston-Salem

Tuskegee Airman to Speak in Winston-Salem

November 20, 2009 | LeShea Agnew

In 1941 , at the age of 22, Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson and 450 other young men made history. They became the first group of black men trained to serve as pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama by the U.S. Military. Between 1941 and 1945 Lt. Col. Jefferson and his airmates flew combat planes in World War II. They were known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Today, Lt. Col. Jefferson is in Winston-Salem sharing his war experience and promoting his new book "Red Tail Captured, Red Tail Free--the Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman and Prisoner and War." Earlier today, WFDD's LeShea Agnew spoke with Lt. Col. Jefferson. He describes his war experience and why he refuses to call himself a hero. Lt. Col Jefferson retired from the military in 1969. He became a teacher in his hometown of Detroit Michigan and retired in 1979 as an assistant principal. In 2001, Lt. Col. Jefferson was awarded the Purple Heart for his service in the military. Jefferson is scheduled to speak this afternoon at 4pm at the Heritage Center in Winston-Salem and again on Saturday at the Special Occasions Bookstore on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive from 12pm-2pm.