College salutes the Tuskegee Airmen

Orange Coast College will host its third annual tribute luncheon to honor the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II on Friday, Feb. 10.

The luncheon is set to begin at 11:45 a.m. in the Student Center. Tickets are priced at $50, and proceeds will be used to fund a scholarship for aviation students in the name of the Tuskegee Airmen. For ticket information, call (714) 432-5707.

Many members of the Los Angeles chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. will be on hand for the luncheon.

Two years ago, OCC’s Aviation Pilot Training Program initiated a program of classes for kids. The classes are being offered at Compton Airport, the headquarters for the L.A. chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated and determined young African American men who enlisted in the military during World War II to become America’s first black military airmen. They trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee, Ala., and served their country with distinction.

The luncheon speaker will be Tuskegee Airman Roger “Bill” Terry, a flight instructor and pilot. In 1945, he participated in a nonviolent protest at Freeman Field in Indiana that helped to pave the way for the desegregation of the United States military. He later served as president of the Assn. of Tuskegee Airmen.

A total of 450 pilots who trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field served overseas in either the 99th Fighter Squadron or 332nd Fighter Group. The 99th flew combat missions over North Africa, Sicily and Italy. The 332nd flew patrols over Naples Harbor and the Mediterranean Sea. In April 1944, the Fighter Group transferred to Italy’s Adriatic Coast and began conducting long-range heavy bomber escort missions for the 15th Strategic Air Force.

The 99th received two Presidential Unit Citations for outstanding tactical air support and aerial combat. The 332nd received the Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to Berlin, conducted on March 24, 1945.

The Germans, who both feared and respected the Tuskegee Airmen, referred to them as the Schwartze Vogelmenshe (Black Birdmen). The white bomber crews called them the Red Tail Angels because of the distinctive red paint on their tail assemblies and for their reputation for not losing bombers to enemy fighters as they provided fighter escort over strategic targets in Europe.

An American bomber pilot who was escorted by the Red Tails will also speak at the luncheon.

*

Spring semester classes get under way Monday at Orange Coast College.

Touch-tone telephone registration continues through Thursday. Many of OCC’s more than 2,000 spring classes remain open.

Applications may be filed today through Thursday in the admissions office. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Any person who was not enrolled during the fall semester must file a spring application.

OCC is offering eight- and 16-week classes, online courses, evening classes and Saturday and Sunday courses. Spring break runs March 27 through April 2, and late-starting eight-week classes begin the week of April 3. The semester concludes on May 28.

For spring application or registration information, phone (714) 432-5072.

*

OCC fine arts professor Donald Jennings will lead his 25th art tour of Europe this summer. The 17-day tour will run July 14 to 30.

Titled “Art of Western Europe,” the summer trip will include stops in France, Switzerland and Italy. It will concentrate on the arts, architecture, culture and history of Paris, Venice, Florence, Lucerne, Lyon and Rome. There will also be excursions to Orvieto and Versailles. The trip features an optional five-day London extension.

“The tour provides a first-hand observation of Western Europe’s major artistic achievements,” Jennings said. “We’ll examine architecture, world-class art museums, sculpture and other historical sites.”

The cost of the excursion is $4,295. The fee includes round-trip transportation, superior hotel accommodations, daily continental breakfasts, seven dinners, deluxe motor coach, local guides, historical sites, museum fees and city sightseeing.

Registration deadline is Wednesday, March 15.

For information about the course, call (714) 432-5515.

* JIM CARNETT is senior director of community relations at Orange Coast College. He writes the biweekly On Campus at OCC Column. Reach him at jcarnettocc.cccd.edu or by calling (714) 432-5725.

20060124h2yyvsn1(LA)20060124itkl8ync(LA)Tuskegee Airmen who took part in OCC’s luncheon two years ago.