William Vickers (left) and Harry Sanford (right) took questions about the Tuskegee Airmen from the crowd of students.

Photo Credit: Bret Matthew

Willie Sherman, from the New England chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., introduced the two veterans.

Photo Credit: Bret Matthew

SHREWSBURY, Mass. — In honor of Black History Month, students at Shrewbury High School got the chance on Friday to hear from two members of the famed "Tuskegee Airmen," the name given to the men who served as the U.S. military's first African-American aviators during World War II.

Harry Sanford and William Vickers took the stage along with Willie Sherman, from the New England chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., who introduced the men and helped to facilitate the discussion.

Tuskegee Airmen Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of those African-Americans who served.

"What we're really here to do today is to talk about your future," Sherman told the students who crowded the auditorium. Noting that most of the students in front of him were between the ages of 16 and 18, he pointed out that most of the Tuskegee Airmen were about the same age when they joined the military and attempted to fight for their country while facing widespread segregation.

"The time for you to set your goals," Sherman said, "is now."

Prior to the talk, students had the opportunity to attend a field trip to see the George Lucas's recent movie, "Red Tails," which focused on the Tuskegee Airmen during air battles over Europe in 1944.

While he praised the film, Sherman referred to it in football terms, calling the time period the "third quarter" of the war. He encouraged students to educate themselves about the what these men did before and after the war, as well.

Both Sanford and Vickers graduated from Boston Trade High school before joining the military. In Sanford's case, he worked for a year at the East Boston Airfield (now known as Logan Airport) before being drafted in 1945 as a maintenance man. After leaving in 1946, he joined the National Guard and was stationed at Fort Devens. When the Korean War began, Sanford joined the 272nd field artillery group. After the war, he continued his career working at Hanscom Air Force base.

Vickers, on the other hand, volunteered for the Army in 1944 and was stationed in Florida as part of a B-17 bomber ground crew. He was later sent to India. After leaving the Army in 1946 and joining the National Guard, he was called back in 1950 at the beginning of the Korean War. Vickers finally retired from his military career after 20 years.

Neither man was ever allowed to be a pilot, though both had at one point wished to be. In the days before segregation, the military had strict rules about what African-Americans could do. For example, if the white air base graduated a certain number of pilots from flight training, the African-American base could graduate no more than that amount, regardless of how many trainees they actually had. As a result, Sherman said, there were only 993 African-American pilots supported by 13,000-15,000 ground crew members like Vickers and Sanford. Many who took and passed flight training were simply not allowed into a plane.

Racism was a fact of life for African-Americans in those days, especially in the South. 

"We couldn't walk on the sidewalks in Alabama," Sanford said. He even knew of one African-America soldier who was ordered off a train car to make room for German prisoners of war.

Despite this, African-Americans made formidable pilots during the war. Known as "Red Tails" because of the distinctive color of their planes' tail fins, the Tuskegees were often requested as escorts by white bomber crews because of their excellent record in combat.

Sanford added, however, that it has taken over 50 years for the Tuskegee Airmen to receive due credit for what they did from the rest of America. 

"These gentlemen returned to a segregated America," Sherman said. "Much of the recognition is coming out today."

In fact, it was not until 2007 that Congress awarded approximately 300 airmen or their widows the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest civilian awards in the U.S.

Many in the audience were deeply affected by the talk.

"I have always been proud to be an African-American," said Shrewsbury High math teacher Denise Fair Satterfield, who, voice choking, thanked Sanford and Vickers for their service and for coming to Shrewsbury.

"This was heart-wrenching for me," she later said. "I don't think I've ever been moved as much as when I watched this film."