The Norfolk Historical Society at 7 p.m. Wednesday will host an exploration into the legacy of the late Howard Baugh, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II.
The Petersburg native was part of the first group of African American aviators and ground crew to serve with the then-U.S. Army Air Forces. His son Howard Baugh will give the presentation.
The segregated norms of the U.S. at the time banned African Americans from becoming pilots. But in 1941, a Howard University student sued the war department for admission into the training program, according to a 2022 PBS.org article.
The government in March 1941 authorized the all-Black unit as the 99th Pursuit Squadron and it trained at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute.
Eventually, according to The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, nearly 1,000 men were trained as pilots. The number of mechanics and logistical personnel, who are also referred to as Tuskegee Airmen, was more than 14,000.
Baugh graduated from Virginia State College and enlisted in March 1942.
The Tuskegee Airmen were lauded for their skill and success rate; according to PBS, Baugh flew twice as many combat missions as his white contemporaries. Pilots were typically rotated out after 50 combat flights. Baugh flew 136.
Baugh remained in the military after the war as a flight instructor, commander and director of logistics. He became a lieutenant colonel and retired from the Air Force in 1967. He died in 2008.
“I think he was very proud of the accomplishments, of not himself, but of The Tuskegee Airmen,” said Richard Baugh, another son, in the PBS article.
Wednesday's event will be at the MacArthur Memorial Visitor Center Theater, 198 Bank St., Norfolk. Doors open at 6:30 with a reception that includes an exhibit of Tuskegee memorabilia on loan from the Hampton History Museum. The presentation is at 7.
The event is free but seating is limited.
Go to Tuskegee-airmen.eventbrite.com to register.
