Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Former Tuskegee Airman dies at 88

Associated Press

SMITHFIELD, Va. – William R. White, a former member of the famed squadron of African-American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, has died. He was 88.

White was a humble family man who rarely talked about his war experiences, family members said Wednesday. White died July 24 at his home in Smithfield, his son Brandon White told the Associated Press.

William White, a Smithfield native, was drafted into the Army Infantry in 1945. He transferred to the Army Air Corps, and then was assigned to the 99th Pursuit Squadron and 332nd Fighter Group. He said during a 2013 talk at the Isle of Wight County Museum that he serviced the unit’s planes to keep them in the air, the Virginian-Pilot reported.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the U.S. military’s first African-American aviators. The group went on to take part in more than 1,500 combat missions, earning more than 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses.