Lee A. Archer Jr., a pioneering fighter pilot known for being a member of the famed black “Tuskegee Airmen” of World War II, who was credited with shooting down four German planes, three in a single day, died last week in New Rochelle, NY.
Archer is best remembered for his combat pilot exploits of Oct. 12, 1944, when in the midst of a series of dogfights over German-occupied Hungary and while flying a P-51 Mustang fighter with the distinctive red tail of the 332nd Fighter Group (known collectively as the Tuskegee Airmen), Lieutenant Archer shot down three German fighters.
At a time when the armed forces were segregated and military brass was reluctant to give black combat soldiers any legitimate responsibilities, the four squadrons of the Tuskegee unit proved time and again that black pilots had both the bravery and skill to escort American bombers to their targets and shoot enemy planes out of the sky.
But despite all his gallantry, this recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross found that when he returned home in 1945, nothing seemed to have changed in American society. “I flew 169 combat missions when most pilots were flying 50,” Mr. Archer said in a 2004 interview. “When I came back to the U.S. and down that gangplank, there was a sign at the bottom: ‘Colored Troops to the Right, White Troops to the Left.’ ” It was despicable. Still, he remained in the armed forces (which were eventually desegregated by President Harry S. Truman in 1948) and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1970.
Colonel Archer was 90 years old and is a brave, respected and revered hero of Black History.
He led a good long life. May God rest his soul. RIP