Glenn Ball is nephew of a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. Ball stopped at the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport on Thursday to speak about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and the importance remembering the obstacles they had to overcome.
The Tuskegee Airmen formed as a result of limited pilot positions for Black and African-American airmen during World War II. As a unit under the United States Air Force, the Airmen were made up of navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks, and other support personnel, along with the pilots that flew throughout the nation and parts of North Africa.
Ball said that another crucial aspect to remember is that the crew was originally considered an experiment.
“The Tuskegee Airmen was originally called the Tuskegee Experiment. It was considered an experiment by the folks in Washington, D.C. They were expected to fail, but they said ‘no, we are not going to fail,’” he said.
The crowd at the airport included members of the community along with scholars from Western Academy at the Neblett Center. The students were able to ask questions, and also acknowledged Owensboro’s own Tuskegee Airman, Milton T. Hall.
Scholar Kyler Williams described Hall’s history of being raised in Owensboro before eventually joining the Air Force as a Tuskegee Airman. Hall died at 27 when his AT-6 plane collided with another plane during a practice exercise in 1947.
With the direct tie to Owensboro, Ball told the students to recognize they are able to accomplish anything, even with the obstacles in the way.
“Remember that obstacles will be out there, but with dedication and perseverance when you decide you want to get ahead you can do it and you will do it. Don’t take no for an answer,” Ball told the students.
Ball said that’s what the Tuskegee Airmen had to do.
“They overcame adversity and racism; They weren’t expected to do well. They exceeded anyway because they wanted to,” Ball said. “I always tell the young people, ‘Dreams don’t work unless you do,’ and we’ve got to do that.”
