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←Created page with '{{Infobox person | name = Vernon V. Haywood | birth_name = Vernon V. Haywood | birth_date = October 24, 1920 | birth_place = Raleigh, North Carolina, US | death_date = {{death date and age|2003|04|14|1920|10|24}} | death_place = Dudley, North Carolina, US | resting_place = Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia | alma_mater = Hampt...'
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Revision as of 19:13, 3 August 2021

Vernon V. Haywood
Born
Vernon V. Haywood

October 24, 1920
Raleigh, North Carolina, US
DiedApril 14, 2003(2003-04-14) (aged 82)
Dudley, North Carolina, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia
Alma materHampton Institute (now Hampton University)
Occupations
  • Military officer
  • fighter pilot
Years active1941–1971

Vernon V. Haywood (October 24, 1920 - April 14, 2003) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot/jet pilot, and commanding officer of the prodigious 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots.[1]

Haywood is notable as the U.S. Air Force's first African American jet pilot and jet instructor, sharing this honor with three other African American officers.[2][3] In 1993, the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame inducted Haywood into its prestigious Hall of Fame.</ref> PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://pimaair.org/hall-of-fame/vernon-v-haywood/ </ref>

Early Life

Haywood was born on October 24, 1920 in Raleigh, North Carolina.[4][5] 

He is the youngest of seven children. His father worked for the railroad as a brakeman while his mother stayed home and took care of the children. He grew up in Raleigh and completed high school there in segregated facilities. Segregation and discrimination were common in Raleigh. Col. Haywood said that “segregation was the law of the land.”

In 1938, Haywood graduated from high school.[6] He attended Hampton, Virginia's Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) where he obtained his private pilot's license in its robust 40-hour-flying-hour Civilian Pilot Training Program.[7][8]

In 1964, Haywood earned a Bachelor's degree from the Boot Strap program in Basic General Education at the University of Nebraska in Omaha.[9]

Haywood was married to first wife Imogene V Haywood (1916–1962) until her untimely death in 1962. Haywood later married Alma Haywood, an U.S. Air Force nurse and Captain.[10] They had one son, Vernon Jr., a University of Arizona graduate.[11]

Military Career, Tuskegee Airmen

In 1941, Haywood left Hampton Institute to attend Tuskegee Army Air Field's secondary aviation cadet training where he remained after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.[12][13] [14] During his secondary training, Haywood landed his aircraft in a random Alabama pasture after running low on fuel. The pasture was owned by a wealthy Detroit man vacationing at his winter home in Alabama. The wealthy man picked up the stranded Haywood by chauffeured limousine, gave him cookies and milk to consume until U.S. Army Air Corps officials picked him up in an official automobile.[15]

On April 29, 1943, Haywood graduated from Tuskegee's Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-43-D, receiving his silver wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.[16] His cadet classmate was Wilson V. Eagleson II, one of the Tuskegee Airmen's most prolific combat fighter pilots, credited with two confirmed enemy German aerial kills and two probable aerial kills.[1][17][18]

The U.S. Army Air Corps assigned Haywood to the 332nd Fighter Group.[19] In December 1943, U.S. Army Air Corps moved Haywood from Michigan's Selfridge Field to Italy. After serving as Flight Commander and the Operations Officer, he eventually became the 302nd Fighter Squadron's commanding officer.[20] In World War II's European Theater, Haywood flew 70 missions throughout Europe including [[Austria], Italy, Germany, Romania, southern France, Poland, and the edge of Russia.[21] In 1945, the U.S. Army Air Corps sent Haywood back to the United States.[22] he is credited with one official kill, downing a enemy German 302 aircraft on October 21, 1944, earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross.[23]

During one mission, Haywood and his squadron were mistakenly fired upon by British gunners as Haywood and his squad flew back to base after a patrol mission on the coast of Italy.[24]

After World War II, Haywood became Tuskegee Air Field Instrument School's Assistant Director.[25] After the U.S. Army Air Corps closed Tuskegee's pilot training in 1946, Haywood was assigned to the 477th Bombardment Group at Lockbourne AFB.[26]

In 1949, the U.S. Air Force transferred Haywood and three other African American officers to Arizona's Williams AFB to train jet pilots. Haywood, Henry Perry, Lewis Lench, and John Whitehead became the U.S. Air Force's first African American jet instructors.[27][28] After training jet pilots for four years, Haywood served in Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.[29] In 1966, Haywood commanded the 4454th Fighter Squadron, a F-4 phantom jet squadron at Tucson, Arizona's Davis Monthan AFB.[30] In 1969, Haywood served in Vietnam in a non-pilot role. In October 1971, Haywood retired from the U.S. Air Force as a full-bird Colonel.[31] In his entire military career, Haywood logged over 6,000 fighter hours.[32]

Post-Military Career

In 1976, Haywood graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors of Science degree in Public Management.[33]

Commendations, Awards

Honors

  • In 1993, the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame selected Haywood as a member of its Hall of Fame.[43]
  • The General Assembly of North Carolina filed a joint house resolution honoring Hayward and fellow Tuskegee Airmen from North Carolina. [44]

Death

Haywood passed away on April 14, 2003.[45] He was 82. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, plot Sec: 35, Site: 4597, in Arlington, Virginia, Arlington County, Virginia.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  2. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  3. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  4. ^ North Carolina Museum of History. "Vernon Haywood Tuskegee Airman." https://files.nc.gov/dncr-moh/Vernon%20Haywood%20Tuskegee%20Airman.pdf
  5. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  6. ^ North Carolina Museum of History. "Vernon Haywood Tuskegee Airman." https://files.nc.gov/dncr-moh/Vernon%20Haywood%20Tuskegee%20Airman.pdf
  7. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  8. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  9. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  10. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  11. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  12. ^ PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://pimaair.org/hall-of-fame/vernon-v-haywood/
  13. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  14. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  15. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  16. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster." https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/ . This data derives from CAF Rise Above's research project compiling data from Tuskegee Airmen historians including the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  17. ^ NCPedia. "Wilson Vash Eagleson II - A Tuskegee Airman 1920 - 2006." Doris McLean Bates. Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 2003. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/eagleson-wilson
  18. ^ NCPedia. "Wilson Vash Eagleson II - A Tuskegee Airman 1920 - 2006." Doris McLean Bates. Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Fall 2003. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/eagleson-wilson
  19. ^ 332nd Fighter Group. "Vernon Haywood." https://332fg.org/haywood-vernon-h1168-332fg.cfm
  20. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  21. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  22. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  23. ^ "MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN: TABLE XII: CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF TUSKEGEE AIRMEN DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS WINNERS, BY DATE OF THE ACTION FOR WHICH EACH DFC WAS AWARDED." Dr. Daniel L. Haulman, Air Force Historical Research Agency. 23 July 2013. http://www.miamitai.org/assets/tuskegee-airmen-history---misconceptions.pdf
  24. ^ The Washington Post. "THEY FOUGHT ON TWO FRONTS. Michael D. Shear. March 5, 1995. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/03/05/they-fought-on-two-fronts/b80c10b7-f29a-4de4-9576-b7bc078509cf/
  25. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  26. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  27. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  28. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  29. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  30. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  31. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  32. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
  33. ^ University of Arizona. "Colonel Vernon Haywood: Summary of a 1989 oral history." Carolyn Daniels. 1996. https://parentseyes.arizona.edu/node/302
  34. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  35. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  36. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  37. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  38. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  39. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  40. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  41. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  42. ^ Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. "Col. Vernon Vincent Haywood." https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/col-vernon-vincent-haywood
  43. ^ PIMA AIR & SPACE MUSEUM. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://pimaair.org/hall-of-fame/vernon-v-haywood/
  44. ^ GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA, SESSION 2007, HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION DRHJR50730-LG-588A (4/27), A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN AND EXPRESSING APPRECIATION FOR THEIR SERVICE DURING WORLD WAR II. https://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2007/Bills/House/HTML/H2063v0.html
  45. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Vernon V. Haywood." https://cafriseabove.org/vernon-v-haywood/
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