Daniel "Chappie" James

Daniel
Author: Earnest N. Bracey
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2015-05-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780786451265

General Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., USAF, fought in three American wars and became the first African American to attain the rank of four-star general in the United States Armed Forces. He was a talented military leader, an excellent orator and an advocate for equal rights for blacks in the military. James was once one of the most powerful men in the world, and today he is often classed with such great American generals as Patton, MacArthur and Pershing. This biography explores James's life and assesses his place in American military history. From his childhood through his role and service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, the book traces his personal and career development, his influences, and his climb through the military ranks. Photographs of James are included as well as detailed bibliographical information at the end of each chapter.

Chappie

Chappie
Author: J. Alfred Phelps
Publisher: Presidio Press
Total Pages: 408
Release: 1991
Genre: African American generals
ISBN:

The life and military career of the first African-American four-star general.

Black Eagle

Black Eagle
Author: James R. Mcgovern
Publisher: University Alabama Press
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2002-11-27
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0817313079

The success story of a much-decorated fighter pilot who overcame poverty and racism to become America's first African-American four-star general. Born in Pensacola, Florida, the youngest of seventeen children in a relatively poor family, "Chappie" James (1920-1978) rose to attain the rank of four-star general-the highest rank of the peacetime American military. His parents had early on imbued him with personal and national pride and a singular drive that motivated him his whole life. At Tuskegee Institute, James enrolled in the Army Air Corps unit formed to train black pilots. After combat service in World War II, James became the leader of a fighter group in the Korean War, during which he developed innovative tactics for providing close air support for advancing ground forces. He served with distinction in Vietnam and then became a public affairs officer in the Department of Defense. Between 1970 and 1974, James served as the Pentagon's chief spokesman to youth and civic organizations. General James's importance transcends his unprecedented achievements as an African American in the military and his role as a spokesman for the patriotic community. He was an early and important proponent of black self-improvement through education, training, and the tireless pursuit of excellence. He became the very embodiment of the American dream. First published in 1985 in hardcover, this reissue of Black Eagle in paperback makes the inspiring story of a notable Tuskegee airman available again.

Keep Your Airspeed Up

Keep Your Airspeed Up
Author: Harold H. Brown
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2017-08-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0817319581

Inspiring memoir of Colonel Harold H. Brown, one of the 930 original Tuskegee pilots, whose dramatic wartime exploits and postwar professional successes contribute to this extraordinary account. Keep Your Airspeed Up: The Story of a Tuskegee Airman is the memoir of an African American man who, through dedication to his goals and vision, overcame the despair of racial segregation to great heights, not only as a military aviator, but also as an educator and as an American citizen. Unlike other historical and autobiographical portrayals of Tuskegee airmen, Harold H. Brown’s memoir is told from its beginnings: not on the first day of combat, not on the first day of training, but at the very moment Brown realized he was meant to be a pilot. He revisits his childhood in Minneapolis where his fascination with planes pushed him to save up enough of his own money to take flying lessons. Brown also details his first trip to the South, where he was met with a level of segregation he had never before experienced and had never imagined possible. During the 1930s and 1940s, longstanding policies of racial discrimination were called into question as it became clear that America would likely be drawn into World War II. The military reluctantly allowed for the development of a flight-training program for a limited number of African Americans on a segregated base in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Tuskegee Airmen, as well as other African Americans in the armed forces, had the unique experience of fighting two wars at once: one against Hitler’s fascist regime overseas and one against racial segregation at home. Colonel Brown fought as a combat pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group during World War II, and was captured and imprisoned in Stalag VII A in Moosburg, Germany, where he was liberated by General George S. Patton on April 29, 1945. Upon returning home, Brown noted with acute disappointment that race relations in the United States hadn’t changed. It wasn’t until 1948 that the military desegregated, which many scholars argue would not have been possible without the exemplary performance of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Black Lives

Black Lives
Author: James L. Conyers
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 239
Release: 2015-05-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317475798

The chapters in this text comprise biographical sketches of previously unknown (or lesser known) African-Americans, among them General Daniel Chappie James Jr; William Levi Dawson (composer); Vinnette Carroll (director and playwright); and Elizabeth Ross Haynes (political speaker and activist).

Looking Beyond Race

Looking Beyond Race
Author: Otis Milton Smith
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2000
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780814329399

In Looking Beyond Race, Otis Milton Smith recounts his life as an African American who overcame poverty and prejudice to become a successful politician, and eventual president of General Motors. In Looking Beyond Race, Otis Milton Smith (1922-94) recounts his life as an African American who overcame poverty and prejudice to become a successful politician, going on to become the first black vice president and general counsel of General Motors. Born in the slums of Memphis, Tennessee, Smith was the illegitimate son of a black domestic worker and her prominent white employer. Although he identified with his mother's blackness, he inherited his father's white complexion. This left him open to racism from whites, who resented his African American heritage, and blacks, who resented his skin color. Throughout his life, Smith worked with and met many prominent Americans. He knew boxer Joe Louis, future general Daniel "Chappie" James, future Detroit mayor Coleman Young, and the nation's first African American general, B. O. Davis Jr. Through politics he knew Michigan's prominent politicians and was appointed by Governor John Swainson to the Michigan Supreme Court, making him the first black man since Reconstruction to sit on any supreme court in the nation. Smith also knew nationally known figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Estes Kevfauver, and presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. Through his civil rights work, he met A. P. Tureaud, Roy Wilkins, and Benjamin Hooks, and he worked closely with Vernon Jordan. Looking Beyond Race provides a rare glimpse into the inner workings of America's largest corporation. Smith was an early advocate of the increased cooperation between business and government that was so necessary for business negotiating the complexities of a global economy. In 1983 he retired as general counsel for the corporation, having been the company's first black officer. This memoir, which Smith dictated during the three years before his death in 1994, is a compelling tale that ends with the inspirational story of Smith's reconciliation with his white relatives who still live in the South. In this highly readable memoir, Looking Beyond Race provides a moving tale that will appeal to readers interested in African American history, politics, labor relations, business, and Michigan history.

"Thou Shalt Never Quit" The Story of General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.

Author: Sharon Gaston
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020-02-19
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780996737081

This is the inspiring narrative of General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr. who was one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and America's first African American four-star general of the Armed Forces. Dr. Sharon Gaston gives an account of General James' life from his birth to the challenges and triumphs he faced in his illustrious military career to his early death. It is an inspirational story about the legacy, self-reliance, patriotism and excellence of General Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.'s achievement of the American Dream.

Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen

Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen
Author: Daniel Haulman
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2023-02-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1588385418

Once an obscure piece of World War II history, the Tuskegee Airmen are now among the most celebrated and documented aviators in military history. With this growth in popularity, however, have come a number of inaccurate stories and assumptions. Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen refutes fifty-five of these myths, correcting the historical record while preserving the Airmen’s rightful reputation as excellent servicemen. The myths examined include: the Tuskegee Airmen never losing a bomber to an enemy aircraft; that Lee Archer was an ace; that Roscoe Brown was the first American pilot to shoot down a German jet; that Charles McGee has the highest total combat missions flown; and that Daniel “Chappie” James was the leader of the “Freeman Field Mutiny.” Historian Daniel Haulman, an expert on the Airmen with many published books on the subject, conclusively disproves these misconceptions through primary documents like monthly histories, daily narrative mission reports, honor-awarding orders, and reports on missing crews, thereby proving that the Airmen were praiseworthy, even without embellishments to their story.

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force

A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force
Author: Stephen Lee McFarland
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 96
Release: 1997
Genre: History
ISBN:

Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that "last full measure of devotion"; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries.

Anatomy of a Lynching

Anatomy of a Lynching
Author: James R. McGovern
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2013-10-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807154261

"A sensitive and forthright analysis of one of the most gruesome episodes in Florida history... McGovern has produced a richly detailed case study that should enhance our general understanding of mob violence and vigilantism." -- Florida Historical Quarterly "[McGovern] has succeeded in writing more than a narrative account of this bloodcurdling story; he has explored its causes and ramifications." -- American Historical Review "A finely crafted historical case study of one lynching, its antecedents, and its aftermath." -- Contemporary Sociology First published in 1982, James R. McGovern's Anatomy of a Lynching unflinchingly reconstructs the grim events surrounding the death of Claude Neal, one of the estimated three thousand blacks who died at the hands of southern lynch mobs in the six decades between the 1880s and the outbreak of World War II. Neal was accused of the brutal rape and murder of Lola Cannidy, a young white woman he had known since childhood. On October 26, 1934, a well-organized mob took Neal from his jail cell. The following night, the mob tortured Neal and hanged him to the point of strangulation, repeating the process until the victim died. A large crowd of men, women, and children who gathered to witness, celebrate, and assist in the lynching further mutilated Neal's body. Finally, the battered corpse was put on display, suspended as a warning from a tree in front of the Jackson County, Florida, courthouse. Based on extensive research as well as on interviews with both blacks and whites who remember Neal's death, Anatomy of a Lynching sketches the social background of Jackson County, Florida -- deeply religious, crushed by the Depression, accustomed to violence, and proud of its role in the Civil War -- and examines which elements in the county's makeup contributed to the mob violence. McGovern offers a powerful dissection of an extraordinarily violent incident.