Air Force Cancels Then Uncancels Training About Tuskegee Airmen & WASPs

[Jonathan Whatley]

A video describing the exploits of the groundbreaking African American airmen [the Tuskegee Airmen], who flew combat sorties during World War II, has been removed from the instructional curriculum for new recruits at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, the hub of Air Force basic training.

Trump, in his inaugural address on Monday, vowed to "end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life." The same day, he signed an executive order dismantling federal DEI programs. On Tuesday, the new administration placed DEI officials on leave and ordered agencies to spike postings or advertisements promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

The effects were felt almost immediately at Lackland. A memo circulated among Air Force personnel said that "in accordance with NEW DEIA Guidance," portions of the basic training curriculum were being revised "immediately." DEIA stands for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

The memo said a video on the Tuskegee Airmen, a second video titled "Breaking Barriers" and a third about the Women Airforce Service Pilots [WASPs] who supported the war effort during World War II had been excised from a course on "airmindedness."

A video on diversity was stripped from a separate human relations course, the memo said.

Obeying Trump order, Air Force will stop teaching recruits about Tuskegee Airmen: A video on the pioneering Black pilots, famed for their World War II exploits, was stripped from an Air Force basic training curriculum at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, updated January 25, 2025)

American greatness was right there. This administration cancelled it.

[Update: The Tuskegee Airmen and WASP videos were restored to the training per the news story on page two of this thread.]

[Ares]

The Tuskegee airmen are over represented in popular media far outside their contribution to the war effort compared almost every other air unit that fought for the Allies. They have had multiple feature films including the 2012 movie directed by George Lucas Red Tails and were shoehorned in to a recent mini series that had nothing to do with them for DEI reasons alone in Masters of the Air.

[Jonathan Whatley]

The Tuskegee airmen are over represented in popular media far outside their contribution to the war effort compared al most every other air unit that fought for the Allies. They have had multiple feature films including the 2012 movie directed by George Lucas Red Tails and were shoehorned in to a recent mini series that had nothing to do with them for DEI reasons alone in Masters of the Air.

Ronald Reagan narrated a 1945 short film about their importance, Wings for This Man. I'll accept the contemporary account of this distinguished observer against your faction's attempts to cancel and scold.

[Ares]

They are as important as any other air unit during WWII that is never talked about. My grandfather's Army unit is never talked about probably because they were not a minority unit even though many died and he was severely injured.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Interesting stories have been identified about the Tuskegee Airmen, some non-fiction and some fictionalized, and the market has been interested in those stories. At this Air Force base, one retelling was used to teach something about the Air Force generally, until now.

There are countless compelling and popular stories set in real everyday military units or in fictional military units that are abstracted from real everyday military units.

It's not as if a merit-based process would have decided which was the historical Air Force unit with the greatest contribution, and that unit would have been the subject of a video at this training session, but for the choice of the Tuskegee Airmen being a quota hire that stole the position.

[Ares]

The films about the Tuskegee Airmen were not well received so I would say the market is not interested and in the WWII historical community they are only mentioned in the actual scope of their contribution no more no less. It is a disservice to all the more effective air units never discussed. I bet almost no one here has heard of 56th Fighter Group? Now why is that? The most decorated US Fighter unit of WWII and...

..."crickets".

[Jonathan Whatley]

In other news, Tuskegee University is currently launching a new bachelor's in aviation science program including pilot training, on campus.

[NotJoeBiden]

In other news, Tuskegee University is currently launching a new bachelor's in aviation science program including pilot training, on campus.

Do they have an airport on campus? Very few schools do.

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The films about the Tuskegee Airmen were not well received so I would say the market is not interested and in the WWII historical community they are only mentioned in the actual scope of their contribution no more no less. It is a disservice to all the more effective air units never discussed. I bet almost no one here has heard of 56th Fighter Group? Now why is that? The most decorated US Fighter unit of WWII and...

..."crickets".

Warner Brothers made a movie based on the 56th called Fighter Squadron…

[Jonathan Whatley]

In other news, Tuskegee University is currently launching a new bachelor's in aviation science program including pilot training, on campus.

Do they have an airport on campus? Very few schools do.

They'll use the airport just about three miles away.

[Duneranger]

This is sort of hyperbolic fake news. He did not specific target the TA st alll.

While I wish the Tuskegee Airman curriculum was retained, it got wrapped up into the DEI sphere. DEI policies have been nothing but a blight on the military.

Hopefully they can incportated the Tuskegee stiry in ither ways but I am glad the DEI BS. is gone. The military has changed sooooo much in the last 10-15 years and for the worse...I say this as someone who was a military officer for that entire time...