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Greetings,
xxxxx...I'm Ron Brewington.....
I
just read your article, "Tuskegee Airman, Judge Dies At 88, "
and wanted to bring several facts to your attention:
1.
Robert Decatur DID NOT successfully complete flight training at Tuskegee,
AL as has been commonly thought of for numerous years...we have personally
tried for years to stop him from misrepresenting himself...I can provide
you with proof that Decatur "washed out" or failed flight
training while in Class 44D in basic training...we carry him on our database
as X44D, signifying him of non-completion as a military aviator...
The
article in ONYX Magazine, which you referenced in your article
contains numerous mistakes that we have
brought to their attention several times, which they have continually
failed to correct...
Please see
article at: http://www.onyxmagazine.com/archive/Onyx010204.pdf ...the
picture that you see of Decatur is him flying a training aircraft, NOT
a combat or operational aircraft...the picture of him that you used in
your article was taken during training, NOt some other period...
The
ONYX article states:
1.
He is one of 150 out of the original 966 surviving
members today...first of all, 994 men graduated from the
Tuskegee Airmen training program (please see attached "Tuskegee
Experience" press kit), not 966... please understand that NO
ONE knows exactly how many of the estimated 16-19,000 persons who
participated in the "Tuskegee Experience" are still
living...within TAI, we know of 321 DOTAs (Documented Original Tuskegee
Airmen) who are still living [114 pilots, 5 POWs and 202 others
{bombardiers, navigators, gunners, mechanics, secretaries, cooks,
etc.}...there are many other surviving DOTAs out there in the world that
we have NO knowledge of...
2.
He was NOT the first Black pre-flight cadet to be sent to Keesler Field in
Mississippi for basic training.
3.
The article says YEARS as a Tuskegee Airman...he came into the program in
late 1943 and washed out in 1944...after that he was not affiliated
with the Tuskegee Airmen....years later, he became a member of
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI)...there is a difference between being a member
of TAI and being a Tuskegee Airmen..
5.
The article says he was famed!!! Famed???? He
was NOT a military pilot...he NEVER flew with the Tuskegee Airmen overseas
where
they gained fame or any other location, so how can he be famed?????
6.
He
NEVER gave famed singer Lena Horne a plane ride
as was stated in the ONYX article...first of all, students were NOT
allowed to fly anyone, other then themselves, another student or an
instructor...civilians were NOT allowed to fly with students!!! Also, Miss
Horne came to Tuskegee in 1943...Decatur was probably not there when she
arrived..
7.
In the article, Decatur claims that Robert W. Williams was in his
class...NOT true...Williams graduated with Class 44E.....he might have
known Williams, but the statement is incorrect...
8.
In the article Decatur claims that Williams represented him in the
movie...not true!!! The
scene where the two pilots landed an airplane on the road near a chain
gang was NOT Decatur.
I
could go on and on and on about Decatur's record of lies and
misrepresentations...he has been a longtime embarrassment
to the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen!!!!
I
have personally followed him around the country, sometimes able to inform
persons who he was going to speak to about his record and was able to stop
him before he got started...I have had numerous other experiences finding
out after the fact that he had spoken and learned of the lies that he had
spoken..you can imagine that many persons were upset when they found out
that they were duped by Decatur!!!!!
I
can be contacted at: 323-533-1036 or bron215@aol.com
if you have ANY questions...
I
am sorry that Decatur passed, but I just don't want to see this person
be heralded as FAMED or a HERO or any of those type of accolades,
when we definitely know that it is NOT true!!!!
Sincerely,
Ron Brewington
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