Book

Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II

2019

Synopsis

He had to sit in a segregated rail car on the journey to Army basic training in Mississippi in 1943. But two years later, the twenty-year-old African American from New York was at the controls of a P-51, prowling for Luftwaffe aircraft at five thousand feet over the Austrian countryside. By the end of World War II, he had done something that nobody could take away from him:

He had become an American hero.

This is the remarkable true story of Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen pilots who experienced air combat during World War II. Award-winning aviation writer Philip Handleman recreates the harrowing action and heart-pounding drama of Stewart’s combat missions, including the legendary mission in which Stewart downed three enemy fighters.

Soaring to Glory also reveals the cruel injustices Stewart and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen faced during their wartime service and upon return home after the war. Stewart’s heroism was not celebrated as it should have been in postwar America—but now, his boundless courage and determination will never be forgotten.

Suggested Reading

Escape to Freedom: An Airman's Tale of Capture, Escape and Evasion

"Escape to Freedom: An Airman's Tale of Capture, Escape and Evasion" by Tony Johnson is a gripping personal account of the author's experiences as a bomber pilot during World War II. Johnson's story begins with his training as a pilot and follows his journey through numerous bombing missions over en...

The Tuskegee Airmen: The History and Legacy of America’s First Black Fighter Pilots in World War II

When World War II started, the black press and the black community wanted blacks to be able to fly because in 1925, the military had done a study that said that blacks didn’t have the intelligence, ability, or coordination to fly airplanes. The pressure from the NAACP and the press caused them to st...

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you accept our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.