Tuskegee airman William Rice dreamed of being a pilot since he was a kid. Born and raised in Nether Providence Township in Delaware County, Rice’s dream became a reality when he became one of the first Black military aviators in the United States Armed Forces.

“I knew when I was a child that I wanted to fly airplanes,” he said. “I use to see them every day and I decided if I ever got the chance I would like to fly one. Little did I know that opportunity would come in World War II as I would become a pilot for the 332nd Fighter Group.”

Rice was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Army in 1942. While Rice was accepted, the Army later told him he had to wait for their phone call. In April 1943, Rice was drafted and sent to Biloxi, Miss., for basic training.

The Tuskegee Airmen trained at the U.S. Army airfield near Tuskegee, Ala., and at the Tuskegee Institute. About 992 Black pilots participated in the training and later flew P-39, P-40, P-47 and P-51 aircraft in more than 15,000 sorties in North Africa, Sicily and Europe. Rice graduated on Aug. 4, 1944.

“It was different living in the North and then having to go down south,” he said. “When I got to Louisville, Ky., I had to get off the Pullman train and go into coach until I got down to Mississippi. And once I got there, I never went off the base.

“From Biloxi we went to the Tuskegee Institute campus in Alabama for a couple of months where we took some college training, and then we went back to the base there for preflight training.”

Rice was a pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group. In 1944, the 332nd Fighter group was sent overseas to Ramitelli Airfield on the Adriatic coast. From Ramitelli, the 332nd escorted heavy strategic bombers into Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Germany — firing on enemy planes approaching the bombers and on anti-aircraft artillery on the ground.  

The Allies called these airmen “Red Tails” or “Red Tail Angels” because of the distinctive red paint applied on the tail section of their P-51 Mustang fighter planes. None of the planes the Tuskegee Airmen flew were new planes.

“When the new models came in, the other air groups got the planes first,” he said. “The ones that they were no longer using got sent to us, so all of our planes were second hand planes, but we had good mechanics who kept them running.

“One time when I was returning from a mission, when I got to low altitude I turned on my air ducts and the hydraulic fluid just came out and covered my whole windshield. I couldn’t see. I had to open up the side windows so that I could outside. I didn’t have any brakes and no flaps. I had to drop the landing gear down so that I could land. I had to come in hot because I had no flaps.”

Rice flew in 34 combat missions during his tenure with the Tuskegee Airmen. He flew every mission, he said, without a working tachometer.

“The only thing that was wrong with my plane was that I did not have a tachometer,” he said. “It did not work. I flew all my missions with no tachometer and the day I had to turn that plane in, the tachometer started working.”

His most memorable mission, Rice said, was in Berlin on March 24, 1945. The Mission to Berlin was the longest flight in USAF (then the U.S. Army Air Corps) history. The purpose of the mission was to provide close escort for the B-17 bombers attacking the Daimler/Benz Tank Assembly Plant in Berlin Germany.

“I was scheduled to fly on that day,” he said. “We were flying out of southern Italy across the Alps into Germany. I put in about seven hours flying time in that mission, but it was nice.”

Rice was discharged in 1946. When he came home, there was no recognition for what he and his comrades did in World War II. It took decades before the Tuskegee Airmen received accolades for their work. Rice received his Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

“When we came home there were no parades, awards, or write-ups in the newspapers,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t know how much we contributed in that war. I’m humbled that we are getting a lot of recognition now. For many of us it’s long overdue. The time I had with those guys will always be with me; I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Today, Rice still lives in Delaware County with his wife of 61 years, Minnie. He has five children, 8 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. His hobbies include listening to jazz, vegetable and flower gardening, coin collecting and collecting World War II memorabilia.

Tuskegee airman William Rice dreamed of being a pilot since he was a kid. Born and raised in Nether Providence Township in Delaware County, Rice’s dream became a reality when he became one of the first Black military aviators in the United States Armed Forces.

“I knew when I was a child that I wanted to fly airplanes,” he said. “I use to see them every day and I decided if I ever got the chance I would like to fly one. Little did I know that opportunity would come in World War II as I would become a pilot for the 332nd Fighter Group.”

Rice was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Army in 1942. While Rice was accepted, the Army later told him he had to wait for their phone call. In April 1943, Rice was drafted and sent to Biloxi, Miss., for basic training.

The Tuskegee Airmen trained at the U.S. Army airfield near Tuskegee, Ala., and at the Tuskegee Institute. About 992 Black pilots participated in the training and later flew P-39, P-40, P-47 and P-51 aircraft in more than 15,000 sorties in North Africa, Sicily and Europe. Rice graduated on Aug. 4, 1944.

“It was different living in the North and then having to go down south,” he said. “When I got to Louisville, Ky., I had to get off the Pullman train and go into coach until I got down to Mississippi. And once I got there, I never went off the base.

“From Biloxi we went to the Tuskegee Institute campus in Alabama for a couple of months where we took some college training, and then we went back to the base there for preflight training.”

Rice was a pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group. In 1944, the 332nd Fighter group was sent overseas to Ramitelli Airfield on the Adriatic coast. From Ramitelli, the 332nd escorted heavy strategic bombers into Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Germany — firing on enemy planes approaching the bombers and on anti-aircraft artillery on the ground.  

The Allies called these airmen “Red Tails” or “Red Tail Angels” because of the distinctive red paint applied on the tail section of their P-51 Mustang fighter planes. None of the planes the Tuskegee Airmen flew were new planes.

“When the new models came in, the other air groups got the planes first,” he said. “The ones that they were no longer using got sent to us, so all of our planes were second hand planes, but we had good mechanics who kept them running.

“One time when I was returning from a mission, when I got to low altitude I turned on my air ducts and the hydraulic fluid just came out and covered my whole windshield. I couldn’t see. I had to open up the side windows so that I could outside. I didn’t have any brakes and no flaps. I had to drop the landing gear down so that I could land. I had to come in hot because I had no flaps.”

Rice flew in 34 combat missions during his tenure with the Tuskegee Airmen. He flew every mission, he said, without a working tachometer.

“The only thing that was wrong with my plane was that I did not have a tachometer,” he said. “It did not work. I flew all my missions with no tachometer and the day I had to turn that plane in, the tachometer started working.”

His most memorable mission, Rice said, was in Berlin on March 24, 1945. The Mission to Berlin was the longest flight in USAF (then the U.S. Army Air Corps) history. The purpose of the mission was to provide close escort for the B-17 bombers attacking the Daimler/Benz Tank Assembly Plant in Berlin Germany.

“I was scheduled to fly on that day,” he said. “We were flying out of southern Italy across the Alps into Germany. I put in about seven hours flying time in that mission, but it was nice.”

Rice was discharged in 1946. When he came home, there was no recognition for what he and his comrades did in World War II. It took decades before the Tuskegee Airmen received accolades for their work. Rice received his Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.

“When we came home there were no parades, awards, or write-ups in the newspapers,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t know how much we contributed in that war. I’m humbled that we are getting a lot of recognition now. For many of us it’s long overdue. The time I had with those guys will always be with me; I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Today, Rice still lives in Delaware County with his wife of 61 years, Minnie. He has five children, 8 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. His hobbies include listening to jazz, vegetable and flower gardening, coin collecting and collecting World War II memorabilia.

While Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard may not be able to escape the headlines surrounding his personal life, he does indeed have a movie coming out this weekend. “Red Tails,” “Star Wars” mogul George Lucas’ action adventure inspired by the heroic Tuskegee Airmen, is now open in theaters.

Howard and his co-star, Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr., lead an impressive ensemble cast that includes Nate Parker (“The Great Debaters”), Elijah Kelley (“Hairspray”) and Ne-Yo (“Stomp the Yard”), and said in a recent interview with the Philadelphia Tribune, “I’m just really excited that we get to tell this 67-year-old story that should have been told a long time ago. But we needed someone like George Lucas to come through. Anthony Hemingway (“The Wire”) was amazing as a director in this movie. I’m so proud of what he accomplished.”

Actually the story has been told, albeit on a much smaller scale. While the TV movie “The Tuskegee Airmen,” starring Laurence Fishburne, won an Emmy Award in 1995, Howard feels that there are still aspects of this amazing story that are yet to be explored.

“Look how many stories there have been about police officers and all of that,” he said. “We can’t even think that that little one million or two million dollar budgeted film, which only really covered the first part of their training, and didn’t really even cover that well — that was such a low budget — to have an opportunity to tell it again. … And like George Lucas said, this story of all these great, incredible, brave young men — these rock stars of the sky, as it were — we need a prequel to it, and we need a sequel shot to it. Hopefully there will be some other filmmaker that will do the sequel to it, and will do the prequel to it.

“The one on TV — that was told more from the historical, day-to-day aspects of it. The one we’re doing — this is a fictional cast. All of the things took place, but they didn’t take place with just one person. They’ve taken place with a number of different people. This is a $100 million action movie. This is ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Star Wars’ with Black people!”

Howard plays the stoic and dignified Colonel A. J. Bullard, who goes straight to the Pentagon and demands that the young and capable Black squadron, having proven themselves on numerous occasions, be given decent equipment and assigned to important missions.

“Col. Bullard was based upon Benjamin O. Davis. This man was the third Black graduate from West Point,” said Howard. “This man held on so strong that he graduated number 37 in a class of two hundred-and-something, and in a fair field, he probably would have graduated first in the class. But he held no resentment against anybody, and was actually responsible for integrating the military, which started the integration of the rest of America. He was considered the old man on the base, but he was only 30 years old. Remember, most of these young, virile, strong pilots, they were 19, 20 or 21 when they were put into the air, but they revered this man for his comportment and his discipline.”

Howard maintains that working with the stellar cast of young African-American actors further enhanced the experience of shooting a full-out George Lucas action flick.

“It was nice that we weren’t in competition [with] each other,” he said. “We got to experience something that the rest of America gets to experience oftentimes — to work with the people that they look up to, and that they admire. I think this may start a new trend. Finally, we’ve got a $100 million movie under our belt, and all we have to do is make a couple of $100 million, and now we can go and make as many films as we want. It was great, but I tell you, this action-packed, adrenaline rush film is off the chain!”

Encouraging everyone to see “Red Tails” during its crucial opening weekend, Howard said in conclusion, “This is ‘Top Gun’ with ‘Star Wars’ special effects. I mean, Tom Cruise is gonna wish he was Black at the end of this movie!”

Contact Entertainment Reporter Kimberly C. Roberts at (215) 893-5753 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

It appears that illustrator David Russell has inherited his father’s pioneering spirit. While his dad, James C. Russell, blazed new trails as one of the courageous Tuskegee Airmen, David also broke new ground in 1985, becoming the first African American to be admitted to the Illustrator’s and Matte Artist’s Union.

With that in mind, it seems only fitting that David was invited by producer George Lucas, creator of the “Star Wars” dynasty, to design key action sequences in “Red Tails,” the high-octane feature film inspired by his father’s amazing story. From the raid on a German airbase through a heart-stopping series of dramatic dogfights, the screen virtually explodes with Russell’s controlled creative chaos.

“As a storyboard artist, your job is to work with the director to create the first visual road map of the film, and eventually, from my drawings, the storyboard acts as a kind of comic book version of the film as it might be shot,” Russell explained during a recent interview. “What’s great about my particular job is you’re one of the first people to get a blank sheet of paper, so to speak. The film has existed as a script until the storyboard artist is brought in, and finally, after the storyboard artist starts creating a look of the most important scenes in the film, the visual look of the film begins to develop.”

Russell, a Los Angeles native who has been in the film industry for almost 30 years, was initially hired by George Lucas to work on “Return of the Jedi,” and went on to become one of the top Hollywood concept and storyboard illustrators. His credits include “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Terminator2: Judgement Day” and “Batman.” In 1985, Russell became the first African American to be admitted to the Illustrator’s and Matte Artists Union, courtesy of Lucas’ “good friend” Steven Spielberg, who hired the talented artist on his groundbreaking film, “The Color Purple.”    

“I broke down the door with ‘The Color Purple’ back in 1985,” said Russell. “It’s noteworthy that it took someone with the power of producer Kathleen Kennedy and director Steven Spielberg to make that happen. Until that time, there had never been a Black illustrator, and I can assure you, it was not for lack of skill. Essentially, when I joined the Illustrator’s and Matte Artist’s Union, I think it was comprised of about 63 men and two or three women, and they were all white.  

“Since I broke open those doors, now there have been several African-American illustrators, and some of those, including Peter Ramsey, have gone on to become directors. Progress has certainly been made [but] Hollywood still maintains a fairly rigid color line, and it’s difficult, particularly for African Americans, to move up the ranks into producing, directing and even writing. But improvement has certainly occurred.”

One might think that the son of one of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen would be privy to the amazing stories of heroism and heartache that are certain to emerge from such an extraordinary experience, but Russell says that initially, that was not the case.

“You know, it’s very interesting. With a lot of men from the Tuskegee Airmen, and perhaps in World War II in general, a lot of them didn’t want to speak [about their experiences],” he said. “I know that I pressed my father when I was a teenager on several occasions for more information about his experiences, but at that time he was reticent. Only much later did I learn that the Tuskegee Airmen had a kind informal agreement amongst themselves not to talk too much about their experiences, because so many were laced with so much stress on racism, and they didn’t want their children growing up to be unpatriotic because of what they experienced.

“I think also, a lot of the men were traumatized by what they experienced, but I know that wasn’t the case with my father. He was very, very strong, and endured what he experienced in the war very gracefully. But again, I was probably in my 30s before he began opening up about his experiences. He opened up a whole new world.” Two weeks after its January 20 release, “Red Tails,” featuring Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. and a brilliant young cast, has grossed $33,750,118.

Contact entertainment reporter Kimberly C. Roberts at (215) 893-5753 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .      

“We hope what youngsters get out of the story is that under some dire circumstances we prevailed. We performed successfully and we opened doors that they don’t have to fight to.” — Col. Charles McGee, “Red Tails” technical consultant and surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Last week, I attended the New York premiere of a new George Lucas film about the heroic exploits of the all-Black fighter pilot squadron that helped America defeat the Nazis in World War II. I am not in the business of promoting new movies. But, there are several reasons that compel me to highlight the release of “Red Tails,” the story of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen. First, the movie has a virtually all-Black cast with Black male heroes — a rare depiction by Hollywood. Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, and NE-YO all play key roles. Lucas has said that the Black theme and Black cast were major reasons Hollywood repeatedly declined to back the film. He struggled 23 years to get major studio financing. “I showed it to all of them,” he said, “and they said no, we don’t know how to market a movie like this.” He wound up pouring $58 million of his own money into the project.

The second reason I am excited about this film is that recent comments by political candidates denigrating the African-American community and reviving outdated stereotypes, make it more important than ever to spotlight the historic contributions and public service of Black Americans.

In just the last few weeks, two presidential candidates, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, have perpetuated false and destructive racial stereotypes in desperate attempts to score political points. In a discussion of social assistance programs, Santorum said he doesn’t want to “make Black people’s lives better by giving them someone else’s money.” Santorum’s appalling comment implied that people of color are a drain on resources mainly provided by whites, even though most food stamp recipients are white.

Santorum’s statement was followed a few days later by a comment from Newt Gingrich that “African Americans should demand pay checks, not food stamps.” Gingrich has called Barack Obama “The best food stamp president in American history.” We are outraged by the comments of both candidates and denounced them in separate statements. The fact is, social safety net programs serve families in dire circumstances from all walks of life. Many of those who now find themselves in need, whatever their ethnic background, are the very people who have paid into these programs and made sacrifices to support their families and our nation throughout their working lives. Which brings me back to the Tuskegee Airmen.

In the 1940s, before our armed forces were integrated, the Tuskegee Airmen became the first Black aviators in the United States military. They were trained at Tuskegee Institute, now Tuskegee University in Alabama. Despite discrimination, during World War II, these brilliant airmen fought fascism abroad and returned to fight racism back home.

Lucas teamed with Black co-executive producer, Charles Floyd Johnson, and Black director, Anthony Hemingway to create a film they all hope will inspire a new generation of African-American youth. The message of the movie … the lesson of the Tuskegee Airmen is clear: We have the power to overcome any barrier to serve our nation and achieve our dreams. One movie won’t solve the problem, but we think it’s an important step in the right direction. — (NNPA)

Although the year is young, “Red Tails,” executive produced by “Star Wars” mogul George Lucas and directed by Anthony Hemingway of the riveting HBO drama “The Wire,” will undoubtedly go down as one of the most exciting films of 2012.
Lucas reportedly put $58 million of his own money into the movie and spent $35 million more for the distribution of “Red Tails,” which is written by John Ridley and “The Boondocks’” Aaron McGruder.

The film is inspired by the legendary “Tuskegee Airmen,” which began when the Civil Aeronautics Authority selected 13 cadets to participate in an experiment at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., aimed at training “colored personnel” to become combat pilots for service in the Army Air Corps. However, “fierce discrimination, lack of institutional support and the belief that these men lacked the intelligence and aptitude to be pilots or maintain military aircraft” were a constant challenge.

When a heady and daring sneak attack against the Germans proved that their intelligence and heroism could no longer be denied, Col. A. J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) goes straight to the Pentagon and demands that the squadron be given an assignment worthy of their valor, and that their fleet of battered planes be replaced by new, state-of-the-art equipment. “Shut us down or let us fly!” Bullard commands. The Airmen soon became known by their updated aircraft, which featured distinctive red tails.           

While the characters in this fast-paced action thriller are fictional, the situations are quite real, with authentic Tuskegee Airmen Lee Archer and Roscoe Brown serving as consultants for the project. Surrounded by young guns such as Nate Parker and Elijah Kelley, Howard and his co-star, Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr take on the more mature roles of Col. Bullard and Maj. Emmanuel Stance, lending an air of dignity to each.  

Although the talented ensemble is characterized by its youthful swagger, David Oyelowo is a standout as the cocky risk-taker Joe “Lightening” Little, who believes that while he’s not always right, he’s never wrong, and just isn’t happy unless there’s a bit of danger involved. He’s constantly at odds with his flight leader, the level-headed Marty “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), who prefers to err on the side of caution – particularly since he is responsible for the men’s safety, and their equipment. The headstrong Lightening often wins out, resulting in several riveting and explosive combat scenes.     

Director Anthony Hemingway does an excellent job of balancing a great story, superb performances by exuberant young actors, stunning photography and Lucas’ trademark, off-the-chart pyrotechnics in this non-stop action thriller. Rather than adopting a heavy-handed “civil rights” theme, he focuses on the fighting spirit, determination, intelligence and sheer “guts” that were required to be a Tuskegee Airman.

On March 29, 2007, approximately 300 Tuskegee Airmen (or their widows) received the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda. The medal is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution.  

Contact entertainment reporter Kimberly C. Roberts at (215) 893-5753 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .