Armour G. McDaniel: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Line 45: Line 45:
==Legacy==
==Legacy==


McDaniel's widow, Faye J. Wilson McDaniel (1935–2019), attended the 2016 ribbon-cutting ceremonies celebrating the renaming of a section of [[Interstate 65]] near [[Columbus, Indiana]] for the Tuskegee Airmen. Surrounded by members of the U.S. military and government officials, Mrs. McDaniel cut the ribbon.<ref> “Stretch of I-65 renamed to recognize Tuskegee Airmen.” Julie McClure. 10/21/2016. http://www.tribtown.com/2016/10/21/stretch-of-i-65-renamed-to-recognize-tuskegee-airmen/ </ref>
* McDaniel's widow, Faye J. Wilson McDaniel (1935–2019), attended the 2016 ribbon-cutting ceremonies celebrating the renaming of a section of [[Interstate 65]] near [[Columbus, Indiana]] for the Tuskegee Airmen. Surrounded by members of the U.S. military and government officials, Mrs. McDaniel cut the ribbon.<ref> “Stretch of I-65 renamed to recognize Tuskegee Airmen.” Julie McClure. 10/21/2016. http://www.tribtown.com/2016/10/21/stretch-of-i-65-renamed-to-recognize-tuskegee-airmen/ </ref>
* In February 2019, former Martinsville Mayor [[Danny Turner]] and Virginia State Senator [[Bill Stanley]] (R-Franklin County) honored the memory of McDaniels by presenting a flag to McDaniel’s Martinsville-based cousin, placing a framed photograph of a wreath on McDaniel's grave at [[Arlington National Cemetery]], and flying a flag over the Virginia state capital in his honor.<ref> Martinsville Bullitin. Tuskegee Airman Armour McDaniel of Martinsville honored his heroic service. HOLLY KOZELSKY. Feb 28, 2019 Updated Feb 28, 2019

A photograph capturing one of McDaniel's missions is displayed at the [[Smithsonian]]'s National Aerospace Museum. The photograph shows a damaged wing on McDaniel's plane after he led an attack on German barges on the [[Danube River]] in 1944. McDaniel personally destroyed six barges, each containing approximately 250 troops. Despite damage to his plane, McDaniel successfully returned back to base.<ref> Martinsville Bulletin. "Tuskegee Airman Armour McDaniel of Martinsville honored his heroic service." Holly Kozelsky. Feb 28, 2019. https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/tuskegee-airman-armour-mcdaniel-of-martinsville-honored-his-heroic-service/article_c11004a6-5223-50db-b7b7-0095bce66046.html </ref>
* A photograph capturing one of McDaniel's missions is displayed at the [[Smithsonian]]'s National Aerospace Museum. The photograph shows a damaged wing on McDaniel's plane after he led an attack on German barges on the [[Danube River]] in 1944. McDaniel personally destroyed six barges, each containing approximately 250 troops. Despite damage to his plane, McDaniel successfully returned back to base.<ref> Martinsville Bulletin. "Tuskegee Airman Armour McDaniel of Martinsville honored his heroic service." Holly Kozelsky. Feb 28, 2019. https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/tuskegee-airman-armour-mcdaniel-of-martinsville-honored-his-heroic-service/article_c11004a6-5223-50db-b7b7-0095bce66046.html </ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 12:34, 1 August 2021

Armour G. McDaniel, Sr. (July 7, 1916 – November 12, 1989) was a prominent U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and former Commanding Officer of the 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or among enemy German pilots, “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen"). McDaniels was also the former Commandant of Cadets at Tuskegee Army Airfield. A World War II prisoner of war in Nazi Germany, he served tours in World War II and the Korean War. [1]

Armour McDaniel
Born
Armour G. McDaniel, Sr.

July 7, 1916
Martinsville, Virginia, US
DiedNovember 12, 1989(1989-11-12) (aged 73)
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Alma materVirginia State University, Temple University and Rider College
Occupations
  • Military officer
  • fighter pilot
Years active1942-1964

Early life and education

Armour G. McDaniel, Sr. was born July 7, 1916. A native of Martinsville, Virginia, McDaniel was the son of Charlie and Mary Earley McDaniel and a grandson of Sallie Ann Thomas Earley.[2]

McDaniel attended both Lucy Addison High School in Roanoke, Virginia and the Piedmont Christian Institute (High School) (closed in 1933).[3][4]

He attended Virginia State University, graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration. He also graduated from Temple University with a P.A. in Economics, and received his Teacher Qualification from Rider College in Princeton, New Jersey.[5]

He returned to Martinsville, Virginia to teach English, History, and Social Science at his hometown all-African American high school until the beginning of World War II.[6]

Military Service, Tuskegee Airmen

McDaniel attended flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama as a member of its Class 43-A-SE, one of the first flight classes at the airfield.[7] After completing training in January 14, 1943, McDaniel was deployed to Italy in December 1943 as a member of the all-African American 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the “Tuskegee Airmen.”[8] The squadron’s mission was to provide air cover for Allied ships navigating the Naples, Italy’s harbor and escort Allied bombers into Germany’s strategic targets.

On March 24, 1945, Col. Benjamin O. Davis Jr. led 332nd Fighter Group pilots on a 1,600-mile bomber escort mission from the Foggia Airfield Complex's Ramitelli AirField in Italy to protect bombers of the Fifteenth Air Force units on its way to dismantle an enemy tank assembly plant in Berlin, Germany. When fighter pilots scheduled to take over escort duties failed to show up and Benjamin O. Davis Jr.’s plane began to suffer engine problems, requiring him to head back to Ramitelli Air Field, McDaniel, now a Captain, assumed command from Davis, leading the pilots to Berlin despite their P-51 aircraft running low on fuel. As they neared Berlin, McDaniels and his pilots were attacked by 25 German Me-262 fighter jets. They fought gallantly, downing three German jets and suffering no losses to their U.S. bomber fleet. Nonetheless, the Germans shot down and captured McDaniel and another P-51 pilot. As McDaniel leaped from his aircraft, he fractured both legs.

The Germans initially imprisoned McDaniel at Nuremburg, Germany, Munich, Germany, and ultimately at Stalag VII-A near Moosburg, Germany for over 30 days. He was eventually liberated by General George Patton's US Third Army on April 29, 1945.[9][10][11]

In January 1945, McDaniel became the 301st Fighter Squadron’s commanding officer, replacing Major Lee Rayford who returned to the United States.[12] In 1946, McDaniel became the commandant of cadets at the Tuskegee Army Air Field. During the Korean Conflict, McDaniel was stationed in Alaska where he led several units.

In 1964, McDaniel retired from the active duty Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel. He later worked for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in New York City as a Civil Rights Specialist.[13]

Family

After World War II, McDaniel married Faye J. Wilson McDaniel (1935–2019) of Fayetteville, Tennessee. McDaniel had three children: Armour G. McDaniel, Jr. (October 2, 1952 - October 29, 1989), Gregory McDaniel and Gwendolyn Jackson. He also had four step-children: Delmer Jerome Edmonds, Jr., Kevin L. Edmonds, Donald E. Edmonds and Regina F. Majors.

Death, Internments

McDaniel passed away on November 12, 1989, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 65, Grave 2822. His beloved wife, Faye, is buried alongside him in Arlington.[14]

His son, Armour G. McDaniel, Jr. died the same year on October 29, 1989 at age 37. McDaniel, Jr. is interred in Saint Louis Cemetery, Number 3 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Legacy

  • McDaniel's widow, Faye J. Wilson McDaniel (1935–2019), attended the 2016 ribbon-cutting ceremonies celebrating the renaming of a section of Interstate 65 near Columbus, Indiana for the Tuskegee Airmen. Surrounded by members of the U.S. military and government officials, Mrs. McDaniel cut the ribbon.[15]
  • In February 2019, former Martinsville Mayor Danny Turner and Virginia State Senator Bill Stanley (R-Franklin County) honored the memory of McDaniels by presenting a flag to McDaniel’s Martinsville-based cousin, placing a framed photograph of a wreath on McDaniel's grave at Arlington National Cemetery, and flying a flag over the Virginia state capital in his honor.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

See also

References

  1. ^ Military Hall of Honor. “Lt. Col. Armour G. McDaniel, Sr.” https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=2827
  2. ^ Martinsville Bulletin. "Tuskegee Airman Armour McDaniel of Martinsville honored his heroic service." Holly Kozelsky. Feb 28, 2019. https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/tuskegee-airman-armour-mcdaniel-of-martinsville-honored-his-heroic-service/article_c11004a6-5223-50db-b7b7-0095bce66046.html
  3. ^ The Roanoke Times. "4 Tuskegee Airmen were Lucy Addison High School grads." Feb 18, 2012. https://roanoke.com/archive/4-tuskegee-airmen-were-lucy-addison-high-school-grads/article_059e6a73-032a-57b9-ba6d-22976bd39cda.html
  4. ^ AfroVirginia. “Piedmont Christian Institute.” http://places.afrovirginia.org/items/show/338
  5. ^ Smithsonian NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. "LT. Col. ARMOUR G. McDANIEL, USAF (Ret)." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/lt-col-armour-g-mcdaniel
  6. ^ Smithsonian NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. "LT. Col. ARMOUR G. McDANIEL, USAF (Ret)." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/lt-col-armour-g-mcdaniel
  7. ^ New York Times. “Armour G. McDaniel, Air Force Pilot, 73.” https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/16/obituaries/armour-g-mcdaniel-air-force-pilot-73.html
  8. ^ CAF RISE ABOVE. “LTC Armour G. McDaniel Sr.” https://cafriseabove.org/armour-g-mcdaniel-sr/
  9. ^ AFHI Virtual Museum. “The Story of Stalag Luft III: Part XI - Liberation.” http://www.comstation.com/afhi/museum/stalag/liberation.html
  10. ^ St Louis Today. “Lt. Col. Armour G. McDaniel leads 301st Fighter Squadron. Sep 26, 2009. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/lt-col-armour-g-mcdaniel-leads-st-fighter-squadron/article_560f7b56-69d3-11df-b624-00127992bc8b.html
  11. ^ Martinsville Bulletin. "Tuskegee Airman Armour McDaniel of Martinsville honored his heroic service." Holly Kozelsky. Feb 28, 2019. https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/tuskegee-airman-armour-mcdaniel-of-martinsville-honored-his-heroic-service/article_c11004a6-5223-50db-b7b7-0095bce66046.html
  12. ^ Smithsonian NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM. "LT. Col. ARMOUR G. McDANIEL, USAF (Ret)." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/lt-col-armour-g-mcdaniel
  13. ^ St Louis Today. “Lt. Col. Armour G. McDaniel leads 301st Fighter Squadron. Sep 26, 2009. https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/lt-col-armour-g-mcdaniel-leads-st-fighter-squadron/article_560f7b56-69d3-11df-b624-00127992bc8b.html
  14. ^ "McDaniel, Armour Green". ANC Explorer. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  15. ^ “Stretch of I-65 renamed to recognize Tuskegee Airmen.” Julie McClure. 10/21/2016. http://www.tribtown.com/2016/10/21/stretch-of-i-65-renamed-to-recognize-tuskegee-airmen/
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Armour_G._McDaniel&oldid=1036577747"