Red Tail: A Tuskegee Airman's Rendezvous with Destiny

Gabrielle Martin, Capt. Martin's eldest daughter, and Karen Patterson, co-author of the book, will talk about what the Tuskegee Airmen accomplished and about Robert Martin specifically. The Tuskegee Airmen, or Red Tails, as they became known because of the way they painted their planes, were our nation's first Black military pilots. They earned great respect for their unrivaled record of protection for bombers in Europe during World War II. 

Robert L. Martin grew up in Dubuque and graduated from Iowa State before receiving his military flight training at Tuskegee, Alabama. He deployed to Italy in 1944, earned a Distinguished Flying Cross early on for his bravery, and was shot down on his 64th mission. He spent nearly six weeks behind enemy lines before he could be reunited with his squadron. Martin earned a Purple Heart and an Air Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross, yet, when he returned home, he found that nothing had changed in the racism he encountered-- not even for a decorated combat veteran.