The Tuskegee Airmen Film Review In 1941, at the United States Air Force base in Tuskegee, Alabama, a group of young African Americans made history as the first black fighter pilots in American history. During a global war on racism, these young people have faced extreme prejudice from their own allies. The 1995 film, The Tuskegee Airmen, illustrates the emotional and physical obstacles the 332nd Fighter Group overcame to gain the respect of their peers and crush bigotry in the United States Air Force. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Tuskegee Air Force Base was the first American base to integrate and train African-American pilots. While the colonel on the base supported integration, the major opposed it, and the young black recruits faced hostility in every training exercise and exercise they undertook. The major's surly attitude and mistreatment of the colored troops led to large numbers of deserters, and some men died during training. However, difficult circumstances strengthened the resolve of the remaining recruits, who completed their training and created the 332nd Fighter Group. After months of practice missions in the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt visited the air base and insisted that the fighter group be sent to Africa so they could join other American forces fighting in World War II. Even in Africa the fighter group was discriminated against, and although they performed admirably on land missions, false reports led to their near disbandment. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, the men of the 332nd Fighter Group were finally assigned to combat missions thanks to testimony from their commanding officer. During their first mission, the Flying Fortress they were supposed to protect failed to show up at the rendezvous point, but instead of returning to the air base, the pilots saved another Flying Fortress from enemy fighters. Instead of showing gratitude, the pilots of the rescued Flying Fortress were outraged that their saviors were black men. The pilots were outraged when the 332nd was assigned to them as an escort, but when one of the Tuskegee Airmen lost his life in combat, they realized that the black pilots were no different from them. When the 332nd was not assigned to an air raid on Berlin, the same pilots who had previously expressed racist views requested their presence. After years of fighting for their country while their country fought against them, the Tuskegee Airmen finally received the justice and respect they deserved. In a time when “separate but equal” was the law, the Tuskegee Airmen faced the unique challenge of fighting a war against racism for a country that denied them the full rights of a true citizen. The American government was highly hypocritical, claiming to be anti-Nazi while enacting watered-down versions of oppression in their own country. They considered the presence of African-American pilots on Tuskegee Air Force Base an experiment and nearly abandoned the project due to "scientific research" stating that African-Americans were too ignorant to fly a plane properly. This sentiment was dispelled once African American pilots were given the opportunity to perform in combat. A report by Dr. Daniel L. Haulman of the Air Force Historical Research Agency demonstrates that the 332nd pilots were equal to the white pilots in every way, stating: "Only three of the eleven bomber and fighter groups that went to Berlin on the 24th.