James Flowers

Personal Information

Birthplace: Surry County, Virginia

Service Information

Branch of Service: Army Air Corps

Unit: 99th Fighter Squadron, 322nd Fighter Group

Theater of Operation: European

Highest Rank: First Lieutenant

Military Honors: Congressional Gold Medal

Honored By: The Eisenhower Foundation

Biography

James Flowers was born in Surry County Virginia. Around 1939, the NAACP began challenging military policies of only whites flying aircraft. With the threat of legal action, the US Army Air Corps created a program to train back pilots, bombardiers, navigators and aircraft maintenance crews at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Flowers joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 and became a pilot. He served until 1945 with the Tuskegee Airmen. Flowers flew with the Red Tails who have inspired books and stories in Hollywood because of their successful escorting bombers over European war zones. They did received damages but never lost a bomber . He returned to the US and became a teacher in New York, married Evelyn and had two children. Courtesy of ICSun-News.com/news/story