Lowcountry site honors bold fight for freedom on two fronts — home and abroad

“We knew we were doing something. We knew we better not fail.” — James H. Fletcher, World War II veteran and Tuskegee Airman.

Imagine being a young American heading off to war. You prepare to serve and give your life if necessary for the cause of freedom. You feel the weight of a nation on your shoulders, the need to protect your home, your family and all you hold dear.

In addition, you feel enormous pressure to act, fulfill your duty and provide victory, not just for all of these things but also because, for the first time in history, you are a part of something new and the eyes of millions of Americans and even the world are upon you ... because of the color of your skin.

So felt over 15,000 African-American men and women who answered the call to serve and defend the United States during World War II and who came to be known as “Tuskegee Airmen.”

The Tuskegee Airmen were members of the first-ever unit to be made up entirely of African American pilots. They took to the skies of Europe to do battle against a fanatical Nazi enemy that claimed to be a “Master Race,” and all the while they struggled against racism and bigotry at home in the form of racial segregation and “Jim Crow” laws.

With an astounding record of military success to rival any American unit during the war, the Tuskegee Airmen acquitted themselves heroically in the skies and on the ground — and there is a place in the Lowcountry where they are honored today.

The Tuskegee Airmen Monument in Walterboro commemorates all who served in this famous unit whose P-51 fighter planes became known as the “Red Tails,” as they struck fear into the hearts of the enemy and devotion from fellow Allied pilots who depended on them.

Over 900 pilots began flight training at Tuskegee, Alabama, and over 500 completed their advanced training at Walterboro Army Airfield here in the Lowcountry.

Part of a vast complex that included a German POW camp, Walterboro was where the Tuskegee pilots flew and practiced from dawn to dusk in the powerful P-40, P-51 and P-47 fighters as they prepared to enter combat in Europe.

As they developed these skills they were challenged by the specter of racism.

Contrary to Army regulations, commanders had ordered facilities such as the officers club and base theater to be segregated. This impacted morale and was a harsh reminder of all that these warriors were striving to overcome.

In a challenge to this, “Operation Checkerboard” was conducted with the help of other audience members to sit in a random pattern and allow the African-Americans to integrate. The movie was halted and the plan was stopped, but pressure mounted for command to acknowledge the inequalities being practiced.

Finally, President Harry S. Truman, in 1948, signed an executive order fully integrating the U.S. armed forces.

During the war, the Tuskegee Airmen and their crews flew over 1,500 combat missions with the loss of 84 pilots. The vital skills honed while in training in the Lowcountry made them effective, and legend has it the “Red Tails” never lost an escorted Allied bomber to the enemy. True or not, the record of these men is worth the honor of the nation they gave their lives to serve.

Today, when you visit the Tuskegee Airmen Monument in Walterboro you will find a quiet, well-planned outdoor historical park.

Erected in 1997, a bronze bust of a Tuskegee Airman gazes skyward atop a stone that recounts the historic deeds of this unique and brave unit.

Located at the modern Lowcountry Regional Airport, it stands on the site of the former Walterboro Army Airfield where these pilots trained during the war.

You can walk and explore informational displays that recount life on base, details of training and the war record of the units. A battered searchlight is preserved as an artifact from the field’s wartime service and is a reminder that the light of freedom must be shone around the world and into our hearts here at home in order for all peoples to be truly equal.

Modern planes take off and land along runways where mighty warplanes once took to the skies, just a few yards from this memorial to those who took to the skies to preserve freedom even as they struggled to be free themselves in the nation they loved.

Getting there

The Tuskegee Airmen Monument in Walterboro is an hour from the Beaufort area, located at 537 Aviation Way at the Lowcountry Regional Airport in Walterboro.

To get there simply take I-95 north to Exit 53 and then take US 17-Alt into Walterboro. Or you can drive US 17 N to SC 303 and enter Walterboro where it joins US 17A.

In Walterboro turn right onto Robertson Boulevard and then right again on US 17 Alt. The airport and Aviation Way will be on your immediate left.

This is a free, open historical park with outdoor displays and it is open from dawn to dusk. When you visit you will find it informative and peaceful with benches and well-manicured grounds. There are no facilities but the nearby town of Walterboro has numerous shops, restaurants and attractions, such as the Colleton Museum & Farmers Market.

For more information on the Tuskegee Airmen Monument, check out https://www.lowcountryairport.com/history-index.

I highly recommend taking a trip to Tuskegee, Alabama, to visit and experience The Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. Located five hours from the Lowcountry, it is a destination in and of itself. Here, the aircraft, artifacts and stories of the men and women who made up the Tuskegee Airmen is preserved and honored on a national scale.

For more information and to plan your trip, go to: https://www.nps.gov/tuai/index.htm