A story that bothered me to the core occurred Sunday night in St. Louis – a city of similar size and demographics to Milwaukee – when a 93-year-old Tuskegee Airman was carjacked and robbed in two separate incidents.
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The victim followed the suspect but soon lost sight of him.
Police did not identify the victim, saying only that he was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen – a group of Alabama-trained African American fighter pilots celebrated not only for their flying proficiency but for helping break down military color barriers.
The World War II veteran got lost while trying to find his daughter’s home Sunday morning and pulled over to call her, CNN affiliate KMOV reported. The men instead took the victim’s vehicle and drove away.
“People of color were not supposed to have the intelligence enough to fly”, said 96 year old John Adams, an original Tuskegee airman; the first black pilots who flew escort U.S. bombers in parts of Europe and north Africa during WWII. But when he got out of the vehicle to speak with the men, the suspects got into his auto and drove away, reports the station. “If you know the history of the airmen, you know they had the courage to overcome the obstacles”.
Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for the victim’s vehicle, a maroon 2012 Honda Accord sedan with Missouri license plate AA2 K8R.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact CrimeStoppers.
