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by Patrick C. Coggins (Author)
Synopsis: This book honors the military and national contributions of The Tuskegee Airmen-African American Pilots known as "Red Tails" who never lost a bomber they escorted during World War II. These decorated pilots overcame a prejudiced study in 1925 by the US War Department, which concluded that Blacks cannot fly a complex airplane." The success of the "Red Tails" is documented in this book, beginning with Eleanor Roosevelt being flown by a Tuskegee pilot, which led to the deployment of the Tuskegee pilots in the War. Chronicled are the events leading to the Tuskegee Pilot Training and their record during WW II, their post war achievements which included each pilot receiving a doctorate degree from Tuskegee University and being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and especially their influence in President Truman in 1948 to issue "Executive Order 9981 that integrated the military in the United States of America.
Autobiography: Dr. Patrick Coggins, Distinguished Professor at Stetson University in Multicultural Education, African and African American History, and Cultural Competence in all populations. He is a native of Georgetown, Guyana, and has worked on the Florida Commissioner of Education African American History Task Force and the Holocaust Education Task Force. He has worked closely with members of the 99th Pursuit Squadron and helped to document their stories, including a biography of Lt. Colonel Hiram E. Mann, a decorated WWII Tuskegee Pilot. Each year, Dr. Coggins provides a free lecture at the DeLand City Library in the Tuskegee Pilots. He believes that the efforts of these Tuskegee Airmen influenced President Truman in 1948 to issue Executive Order 9981, which integrated the military. This then provided equal opportunities for all military personnel regardless of race or gender.
Dr. Coggins co-founded the nationally acclaimed "Project Harmony," which trained over 25,000 youths to positively deal with racial violence in public schools. He received the 2004 Florida Education Association Mary McLeod-Bethune Human Relations and Civil Rights Award, was nominated for the 2005 Onyx Magazine Award, and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Arkansas for his contributions to the Addictions field in 2004. Lastly, Dr. Coggins was honored on March 24, 2024, in The New York Times Book Review.
