JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND – New Jersey native Lt. Calvin Spann, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, will be talking about his life and experiences at the Miller Branch Library on Wednesday, Feb. 29 at 5:30 p.m.
Spann will be among several speakers participating in this program in honor
of Black History Month.
A member of the Army Air Corps, Lt. Spann was sent to Tuskegee, Ala. and began his aviation cadet training in 1943. Upon completion of his training he was sent to Italy as a replacement combat pilot and given only an
instruction manual to fly his P51 Mustang fighter plane. During his assignment with the 100th Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group., Lt. Spann flew 26 combat missions in Europe before the end of World
War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and remained in the Air Force Reserves until 1961.
Lt. Spann said he chose to leave the reserves because of the limited scheduling opportunities given to African American pilots. “I was trying to go to school at nights and work during the day,” he said. “I couldn’t spend the weekends trying to get a plane and not even get one. They didn’t allocate enough planes for people to get their time in. And pilots have to fly at least four hours a month to qualify for flying pay. Not getting a chance to fly, I decided to get my discharge.”
At that time the U.S. military was, like the rest of the nation, segregated with black and white servicemen working in separate units. The U.S. military was formally desegregated on July 29, 1948, tanks in large part to the
service record of the Tuskegee Airman and President Harry S. Truman.
Lt. Spann has received numerous military awards, including a Presidential Unit Citation, the Mediterranean Theatre of Operation ribbon, the American Theatre and World War II Victory button.
To learn more about Lt. Spann’s life and military service, the community is invited to this free program at the Miller Branch, located at 489 Bergen Ave. in Jersey City.