MEDIA ADVISORY, Feb. 17, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Veterans of the famed World War II unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, will visit Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) San Diego facility Monday, Feb. 21, to explore the history of the group that helped pave the way for integration of the military.
William B. Ellis and Oliver Goodall will offer a historical overview and share personal reflections on what it was like to be a Tuskegee Airman. The event, scheduled to celebrate the role of black aviators as part of National Black History Month, is sponsored by Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector headquartered in El Segundo, Calif.
What: Tuskegee Airmen's Visit to Northrop Grumman San Diego
Facility
When: Mon., Feb. 21, 11 a.m.; media must arrive no later than
10:45 a.m.
(Non-U.S. citizens are requested to contact us in advance.)
Where: 17087 Via Del Campo, San Diego, Building 4 /
NCR Building C
RSVP: By 9 a.m., Mon., Feb. 21
Gemma Loochkartt, (310) 332-8177 or (562) 480-7617,
gemma.loochkartt@ngc.com
Jeanne Royce, (858) 618-4301, jeanne.royce@ngc.com
The Tuskegee Airmen were an elite group of 450 black pilots trained for World War II's European theatre. The 332nd Fighter Group, made up of the Tuskegee pilots, became one of the Allies' strongest weapons against the Nazis. The group was trained at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama after the U.S. Air Force's strict policies on racial segregation prompted a lawsuit by an African-American who was refused pilot training because of his race.
The Tuskegee program was expected to "prove" racial deficiencies in intelligence and concentration, yet the Tuskegee Institute graduates include a number of pilots who went on to great aviation and military success. The Airmen's success during World War II - not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions - is a record unmatched by any other fighter group.