International Military Student Office, C Co 3-81 Armor Ft Benning GA

If you’ve checked out our post about Eugene Bullard from earlier in the week, you’ll notice that there’s a lot of interest in him and his accomplishments. You’l...l also notice that we used the phrase first African-American fighter pilot when discussing his accomplishments, but you’ll find a lot of other sources calling him the the first Black fighter pilot or first combat pilot of African descent or something similar. We’ve found the clarification as African-American is needed because Bullard wasn’t the only person with African heritage in the air during World War I - and which one was the first fighter pilot depends on how you peg it (e.g., first to get a license or military wings, first to enter combat, first to engage the enemy, first to be a pilot instead of observer/gunner in the engagement, etc.). Historians are always digging deeper to find the lost stories and we may not have all of them yet, but here are other Black fighter pilots known to have flown during World War I. They are (left to right): William Robinson Clarke was a Jamaican-born British citizen that traveled to England to join the Royal Flying Corps in 1915, becoming a pilot in April 1917 and being assigned to No. 4 Squadron. He received a spinal injury during an air battle in July 1917, which took him out of the flying game. He finished out the war as a mechanic for No. 254 Squadron. His injury did not allow him to fly after the war, but he remained involved in Jamaican veterans associations. Ahmet Ali Çelikten was born in Turkey, but his ancestry is traced to eastern Africa through his grandparents. He was a mechanically-adept kid, which led him to want to join the navy. While there, he attended one of the Naval Technical Schools of the day in 1904. He was still in the navy when the naval flight school at Yeilköy opened in June 1914. He received his wings that year and later shifted to the Ottoman Air Force. He began combat service in November 1917, was sent to Germany for more advanced training in December 1917 and was assigned as a liaison with the Izmir Naval Aircraft Company in mid-1918. After the war, he fought for the Turkish Nationalist Movement in the Turkish War of Independence and became part of the Turkish Air Force after independence in 1923. He’d serve in various and higher-ranking roles, including at the Air Undersecretariat, until retirement in 1949. He passed away in 1969. Domenico Mondelli flew for Italy. Mondelli was adopted by an Italian Colonel, after he was orphaned in his homeland of Eritrea during the Abyssinian War. He entered a military college in 1900, and moved onto the Royal Military Academy of Infantry and Cavalry in Moderna. He was passionate about aviation in the early days of flight, and obtained his private pilot’s license in February 1914. When Italy joined World War I in May 1915, he was assigned as captain of the 7th Reconnaissance and Combat Squadron, earning a Bronze Medal for Military Valor along the way. He’d take on greater responsibility, shifting between bomber, fighter and reconnaissance squadrons and groups through much of 1917 before moving into command ranks of the Italian army in October of that year. He’d remain in military service, either directly or as a reservist, until 1970. When he died in 1974, it was learned that he was among the most decorated Italian soldiers of the war and post-war eras. Then there’s Pierre Réjon, who flew for France. Réjon was born in Martinique. He had gone to France to study engineering, and was at the Ecole des Arts et Métiers in Paris for only a few months when World War I broke out. He was in the infantry between enlistment in August 1914 and his induction into the air academy in September 1917. Gaining his license in December 1917 and assigned to Squadron N160, he’d move over to Squadron SPA 62 in June 1918. He was noted as being both talented and reckless, earning the Croix de Guerre from both France and Belgium. He’d stay flying in civilian life after the end of the war, taking to exploring new areas for various entities. It was on one of those trips, flying over French Guyana, that he would perish due to a crash on August 15, 1920. Not pictured: We also found reference to a gentleman named Andre Parsemain, also from Martinique, who served as a mechanic and pilot for France, apparently gaining his pilot’s license on March 8, 1917. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to dig up much else of his service history or a photograph.

In 1917, Eugene "Jacques" Bullard became the world’s first African-American military pilot to fly in combat, and the only African-American pilot in World War I.... Born in Columbus, Georgia, Bullard’s education was minimal, but he learned to read well which was a key to his later success. In 1912, Bullard resolved to leave the US in hopes of escaping racial discrimination, and stowed away on a German merchant ship bound for Aberdeen, Scotland. In Europe, he performed in a vaudeville troupe and earned money as a prizefighter. At the beginning of World War I, Bullard joined the French army, serving in the Moroccan Division of the 170th Infantry Regiment. The French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre for his bravery at the Battle of Verdun. Twice wounded and declared unfit for infantry service, he requested assignment to flight training and amassed a distinguished record in the air. Between the wars, Bullard owned nightclubs in the Montmartre section of Paris, where he emerged as a leading personality among such African-American entertainers as Josephine Baker, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet. In the late 1930s, Bullard joined a French counterintelligence group. When Nazi Germany conquered France in 1940, Bullard and his family escaped to New York City where he spent the rest of his life working in a variety of jobs, his last being an elevator operator at the Rockefeller Center, before passing away in 1961. During his lifetime, Bullard was awarded 15 French war medals, was one of three men chosen to relight the everlasting flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, made a Knight of the Legion of Honor, the highest ranking order and decoration bestowed by France, and was buried with full honors by the Federation of French War Officers. Despite all of these honors, few in the US knew of his legendary accomplishments. His contribution to aviation wasn't formally recognized until 1994, when the United States Air Force posthumously commissioned him a Second Lieutenant. #blackhistorymonth #wingsherospotlight #eugenebullard #aviationhero

A Salute to "Silent" Steve Chappuis. Hero of the 101st Airborne Division 502 PIR On December 30, 1944, one week after the encirclement of the once besieged ci...ty of Bastogne was broken, Lt. Gen. Patton awarded Lt. Col. Steve Chappuis, C.O. of 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Div., the Army's Distinguished Service Cross for heroism; Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe on the right, looks on. Lt. Col. Steve Chappuis' Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads as follows: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Lieutenant Colonel Steve A. Chappuis (ASN: 0-20899), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Commanding Officer, 502d Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, in action against enemy forces on 25 December 1944, in Belgium. During the siege of Bastogne by overwhelming enemy forces, Colonel Chappius commanded a regiment of the defending 101st Airborne Division. When the enemy launched a fierce attack with strong infantry and armored forces in a supreme effort to seize the town, Colonel Chappius mustered all available cooks, drivers and orderlies to augment his depleted, widely deployed troops and skillfully maneuvered his forces to meet the attack. Under his courageous, inspiring leadership his men held, repulsing every attempt by the enemy to penetrate the lines. He repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire in order to direct his troops effectively and personally reconnoitered enemy infested territory, completely disregarding his own safety. The heroic, inspiring leadership of Colonel Chappius, and his personal courage and supreme devotion to duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military forces of the United States and reflect great credit upon himself, the 101st Airborne Division, and the United States Army. During the war Chappuis earned the nickname "Silent Steve," reflecting his determination, reserve, and humility as an officer. He was Knighted by the Queen of Holland for his participation in liberating the town of Eindhoven, and received the Military Willems Order. To this day, the Dutch refer to him as "the great liberator." After the war Steve returned to the United States and continued a very impressive military career. Brigadier General Steve Archie Chappuis died on August 19, 2008 in Tacoma, WA, at the age of 94. He is inurned at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, King County, WA #ww2uncovered #greatestgeneration #WorldWarII #USArmedForces #ww2 #ww2history #worldwar2 #WWII #usarmy #ww2veteran #worldwar2history #usarmyvet #usarmysoldier #usarmyveteran #Salute #lestweforget #wwiihistory #usa #101st #101stairborne #distinguishedservicecross #Hero #heroes #militarystrong #WWIIveteran Original description and photo sourced by: militaryhallofhonor.com, militarytimes.com and US Army Archive

Congratulations to our latest MCCC Prep course. Great job

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