Two Tuskegee Airmen died on the same day in California
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By Sarah Larimer January 12 at 11:48 AM
Tuskegee Airmen died this month on the same day in the same city, relatives told the Associated Press.
Joseph Shambrey and Clarence E. Huntley Jr. were both 91 years old when they died Jan. 5 in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.
The AP reports that Huntley and Shambrey, who died at their homes, were airplane mechanics, with Huntley also serving as a crew chief, his nephew told the wire service.
were the first black airmen in the U.S. military. Their story has been celebrated by historians and immortalized by Hollywood.
The AP reports:
Shambrey’s son, Tim Shambrey of Altadena, said his father recalled getting off a train in Alabama where a hospitality station was welcoming returning white troops with handshakes and free coffee.
“When he and his buddies came off, dressed in their uniforms, of course they didn’t get any congratulations” and were asked to pay for their coffee, Shambrey said.
They did so.
“The thing about those men is that they were very proud” and decided not to make a fuss, Shambrey said. “They were already used to so much discrimination.”
Relatives for both men told AP that the veterans didn’t discuss their military service that often.
“I was doing what I was supposed to do, and that was to serve my country,” Shelia McGee, Huntley’s daughter, said her father would tell his family.
It’s not clear exactly how many Tuskegee Airmen are still alive, though Tuskegee Airmen Inc. has said in recent years that there are barely a few hundred surviving members of the group.
Another member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Milford Craig,died this month in California, CBS Sacramento reported.
“He had an exciting life,” his daughter, Anita Craig, told the station. “He graduated from high school at 17, and he said he always wanted to fly.”
Share via Email
Comments 0
By Sarah Larimer January 12 at 11:48 AM
Tuskegee Airmen died this month on the same day in the same city, relatives told the Associated Press.
Joseph Shambrey and Clarence E. Huntley Jr. were both 91 years old when they died Jan. 5 in Los Angeles, according to the Associated Press.
The AP reports that Huntley and Shambrey, who died at their homes, were airplane mechanics, with Huntley also serving as a crew chief, his nephew told the wire service.
were the first black airmen in the U.S. military. Their story has been celebrated by historians and immortalized by Hollywood.
The AP reports:
Shambrey’s son, Tim Shambrey of Altadena, said his father recalled getting off a train in Alabama where a hospitality station was welcoming returning white troops with handshakes and free coffee.
“When he and his buddies came off, dressed in their uniforms, of course they didn’t get any congratulations” and were asked to pay for their coffee, Shambrey said.
They did so.
“The thing about those men is that they were very proud” and decided not to make a fuss, Shambrey said. “They were already used to so much discrimination.”
Relatives for both men told AP that the veterans didn’t discuss their military service that often.
“I was doing what I was supposed to do, and that was to serve my country,” Shelia McGee, Huntley’s daughter, said her father would tell his family.
It’s not clear exactly how many Tuskegee Airmen are still alive, though Tuskegee Airmen Inc. has said in recent years that there are barely a few hundred surviving members of the group.
Another member of the Tuskegee Airmen, Milford Craig,died this month in California, CBS Sacramento reported.
“He had an exciting life,” his daughter, Anita Craig, told the station. “He graduated from high school at 17, and he said he always wanted to fly.”