August 12, 2018

CONVENTION REWIND

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As part of the 47th annual Tuskegee Airmen National Convention, Dakar Foundation was invited to share our journey and quest to bring the remaining 65 Red Tail Pilots remains home.  The screening and Q&A event was held inside of the Grand Ballroom E in the J.W. Marriott.  It was attended by three Distinguished Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA’s) and a contingency of representatives from different chapters of the TAI National Organization and SES Clarence Johnson.  Herein is a task force objective.

There were plenty of questions after the screening of a twenty minute video treatment of where Dakar has begun curating the oral history of DOTA’s who are now Lonely Eagles, as well as George Lucas, and new media surrounding current events in repatriating remains of World War II Killed In Action pilots.  Stay tuned for highlights from the two-hour session which included a ceremonial lighting of the candle to celebrate Fallen Tuskegee Heroes.

The highlight of our trip was running into are dear friend Nancy Leftenant-Colon, who was given a mock 98th birthday party Friday night.  We sat with Nancy to talk about the way-ahead for bring her brother Samuel back home.

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The Unlocking Tuskegee Airmen X files  (UTAXF) is a STEAM showcase to enable students to Unlock the untold stories of the Fallen 66 and the Tuskegee Airmen at Large.  This project invokes the sacred role of all combatants “That No Man Left Behind”.  

The Fallen 66 made the ultimate sacrifice for this country and arguably are the cornerstones of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience 1941-49 – yet to-date, they are a mere numerical footnote. The goal of the consortium task force is to establish a comprehensive research tool and virtual memorial.

This would allow an opportunity to make a case for enshrinement of the service records of the FALLEN 66, write their epitaphs, as well as create an addendum to historical information. There are photos, documents, data, and testimonials available on various media sites, however, with the exception of their names; the Fallen 66 ultimate contributions are not included on the permanent record of the Tuskegee Airmen Experience.

The Fallen 66 Task Force has started the process of building a sustainable legacy research tool for the FALLEN 66, and has been in talks with the National Park Service (to produce a phased social-research engine experience commencing Memorial Day 2019, which will eventually culminate into an annual commemorative celebration to be implemented, virtually, nationally and/or locally at regional national parks.

PHASE ONE features a web portal that houses a partially completed database of vetted facts from the U.S Air Force. This will also include a social media campaign-call-to-action to locate the missing pieces of the individual FALLEN 66 Profiles (photos, Obituaries, testimonials from surviving friends, family and peers.

PHASE TWO is to produce short-form media comprised of oral history from the remaining Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA) who may have trained and flew with members of the FALLEN 66. This phase will also include interviews with key personnel comprised of Department Of Defense, NPS, and women of TAE. One example of short form media would be a 20-page military observance calendar highlighting TAE historical contributions.

PHASE THREE is to aggregate and publish an online matrix of all archived memorabilia such as: war letters, death certificates, photos, uniforms and medals of the FALLEN 66. These artifacts currently reside inside private governmental collections that have not been integrated into a single registry for public consumption particularly the contributions of the women of the TAE.

PHASE FOUR is to create a speaker bureau and conduct workshops with panelists comprised of DOTA, NPS Interpretation specialists and influential TAE supporters. Our hopes are to encourage educational institutions, as well as DEOMI, and the Smithsonian to feature curatorial science programs. The FALLEN 66 series will provide exemplary preservation and conservation delivery practices. This is to increase student and attendee knowledge on how to encourage accession, catalogue techniques and next level digital archiving. In addition, the series will highlight film screenings featuring a Q & A, artifacts, and genealogy workshops.

With the implementation of a planning grant, the FALLEN 66 Task Force will deliver PHASE ONE for review. We will design a state-of-the-art experience- in a box for our partner’s shared vision.  The FALLEN 66’s place in American History will receive a faithful revision. Their families will finally be given a day or remembrance featuring obituaries, potential repatriation of their remains, and a virtual shrine to honor their service and sacrifice. Checkout www.homageusa.net for now.

Fallen 66 Search For Photographs

Fallen 66 member to be added ?

UTAXF has identified (3) Fallen 66 families that have become charter members of the “Search And Rescue Mission”.  The Airmen that have been declassified and their X files have been opened for DNA certified families to start the process of repatriating their remains and burial in Arlingtion National Cemetery are:

  1. 2nd Lt. George McCrubmy

  2. 2nd Lt. Samuel Leftenant

  3. 2nd Lt. Lawrence Dixon

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Tuskegee Airman from Philly, lynched by the Nazis…read moredixon-480185-f-wp-content-uploads-2018-04-1121313_993b2e5abbcdfd8-1200x800

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