The Tuskegee Airmen were first introduced to readers in 1955, in the first edition of the book of that title by Charles E. Francis, a captain in the US military, who arrived at the Tuskegee training facility in Alabama in the middle of WWII. Before that war, black Americans who wanted to fight for their country were either rejected or allowed only the lowest ranks and roles. When WWII heated up, some African Americans saw their chance to become pilots, impelled by patriotism and the promise of a highly respectable career. The Moton base at Tuskegee, developed under the aegis of Eleanor Roosevelt, included African American workers at all levels, because under the tacit system of segregation, everyone from cooks up to medical personnel and, eventually, the pilots and other members of the flying forces, had to be black. The 99th Squadron started flying missions in North Africa in 1943. After the war the airmen, known to their military colleagues as The Red-Tailers for the decorations on their planes, sought recognition for their heroism and acceptance for black military personnel. With pressure from the airmen and others, military racial segregation officially ended in 1948.

Building on the original text, the current editor of this sixth edition of The Tuskegee Airmen, Adolph Caso, has added statistical underpinning to Francis's detailed descriptions of the military cohesion and grit of the Tuskegee group. Well researched, the book is more than history, comprising a celebration of, to the greatest extent possible, all the members of the Tuskegee team. This edition includes copious photographs, rosters, and other data, with the central emphasis remaining on vivid personal recollections and accounts honoring the individuals who were part of the Tuskegee force. These tales of courage under fire and under the onerous burden of racial bias tell as much about the airmen as the honors later bestowed on them including an invitation, in 2008, to Barack Obama's inauguration. Many attribute the integration of America's armed forces to the outstanding determination of the Tuskegee airmen, both in battle in foreign climes and in the subtler but equally challenging conflict at home.

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