Hi Bennie, KWL, Denise & others,

Your stories about men who were former Tuskegee Airmen 'hit a chord' in my recollections.

Like you Bennie, I never had the pleasure of meeting Denise's father, but I did have the opportunity of meeting and knowing "Scotty" Hathcock, Gen. Chappie James and Gen. B.O. Davis.

I knew Scotty when he was employed as an aerial photographer at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.. Gen. James, I first him met at W-PAFB when he was a Major and was working with the F-16 Systems Project Office (SPO). Gen, Davis I met at an Air Force Musuem banquet, with a youngster I was Mentoring at that time. Gen. Davis graciously signed his book for the youngster and gave him some strong words of encouragement, then followed that up by corresponding with the young man for a period of years. That youngster is now in Law School at UNC, Chapel Hill.

My thought is that these men, all Tuskegee Airmen, did not stop there with their couragous efforts to become Aviation Pioneers, but they each had that special something, they were a 'cut above'. This is demonstrated by their accomplishments following World War II.

I can honestly say that my encounter(s) with each was a memorable experience.

Art Thomas