Sixty four years after downing a German jet over Berlin, Tuskegee Airman Dr. Roscoe Brown will get a “refresher course”
in a Mustang fighter
Dr. Roscoe Brown, 86, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, and former commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group who shot down an advanced German Me-262 jet fighter during World War II, will get a “refresher course” in flying the P-51 Mustang during Stop & Shop’s Flight of Aces program at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, on Friday, August 29, at 12 Noon.
His flight training experience in a fighter similar to the one he flew in combat is being underwritten by Stop & Shop’s Flight of Aces program that seeks to honor the unheralded heroes in our own families.
Dr. Brown was in command of a flight of Mustang fighters protecting B-17’s over Berlin in March of 1945 when he was able to intercept and shoot down the far faster Nazi Me 262 jet fighter seeking to knock out Flying Fortress bombers. He finished the war having flown 68 missions, shot down two fighters in the air, destroyed three on the ground, and wrecked 13 locomotives while flying dangerous ground attack missions. He was given the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf clusters and the Presidential unit citation.
The Tuskegee Airmen were African American pilots who had to fight segregation on the ground while combating the Nazi Luftwaffe in the air. History has recorded that these men were successful on both fronts, helping protect American bomber crews through skill and valor while using their personal courage to help dismantle the prejudice that existed in society before the arrival of the Civil Rights era.
What: Eighty six year old Tuskegee Airmen pilot offered a “flight training” refresher in the type of fighter in which he shot down a Nazi jet over Berlin in 1945.
Who: Dr. Roscoe Brown, of Riverdale, former commander of the 100th Fighter Squadron, Brown was president of Bronx Community College, a part of the City University of New York (CUNY). Today, Brown serves as director of the Center for Urban Education Policy at the Graduate School and University Center of CUNY.
When: Friday, August 29, 12 Noon
Where: American Airpower Museum, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY.
Dr. Roscoe Brown is on the right
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