Proving His Worth
by Laurel Schlegel
L to R: Tuskegee Airmen Julius D. Mason, John W. Mosley, James E. Harrison, Fitzroy “Buck” Newsum, Hebert E. Carter, Franklin J. Macon, Samuel C. Hunter and Randolph F. Edwards, in front of a “Red Tail” P-51 at the Colorado Springs Jet Center. (Centennial Journal, 2003, Courtesy Willie Daniel II, http://www.ourshadesofblue.org/photos/Tuskegee.pdf)
Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy Newsum
May 22, 1918- January 5, 2013
Fitzroy Newsum was born in Manhattan, New York on May 22, 1918. Shortly after, he moved to the Caribbean Island of Trinidad.[1] Newsum grew up on the island with his mother, who would often take him to the local airfield.[2] He became very fascinated with airplanes and flight, and it was here that he was inspired to one day become a heroic pilot that would serve his country in multiple wars.
Newsum returned to the United States for college where he attended the University of Maryland. He graduated from the College of Military Science there. After graduating, he returned to New York with the intention of joining the United States Air Corps. He was rejected, however, because he was black. This did not discourage his drive to fight for his country though. On February 16, 1939 he enlisted in the New York National Guard. He became a Second Lieutenant for the How Company of the 369th Infantry.[3] His infantry was deployed to Hawaii, where they commanded an anti-aircraft missile group.
Newsum never gave up his dreams of flying. He joined the Tuskegee Airmen, the first group of African American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps. The program was initiated by President Roosevelt, who at first arranged for 33 African American men already in service to take an entry test for the Army Air Corps. Newsum was chosen to take the test and was one of just 13 to pass it. Those who passed had the opportunity to go to Officer Candidate School, but Newsum instead chose to train at the Tuskegee Airfield in Alabama. There, the men were trained by Major Noel F. Parrish to be skilled pilots. Parrish not only trained the young pilots but was instrumental in convincing Congress to allow them to serve in combat zones.[4] Newsum graduated from the training program in 1943, becoming First Lieutenant Newsum. He flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in 447th Bombardment Group during World War II.[5]
Due to the widespread discrimination in the United States at the time, stereotypes abounded that black people were incapable of learning how to fly aircraft.[6] This group of pilots proved these beliefs very wrong. The Tuskegee Airmen faced discrimination every step of the way, from training in the heart of the South to the prejudice within the military itself. Most people within the Air Corps did not trust them to do more than escort bomber planes flown by white pilots.[7] They definitely proved their worth in battle though and, over time, their track record became so good that white pilots requested to fly with them. The Tuskegee Airmen had to do more than just fly planes in the heat of a battle, they had to overcome racism at the same time. It was an opportunity for young African American men to not only fight an enemy overseas, but to fight prejudice and discrimination back at home as well.
After the war, Newsum went back to school at the University of Oklahoma to get his master’s degree in public administration. He married Joan Carney Newsum and they had four children together.[8] He remained in service until 1970. After retiring from the service with the rank of colonel, he moved his family to Denver, Colorado. Here he worked in public relations at Martin Marietta Aerospace.[9] In 2007 he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George Bush. He also received the Brig. Gen. Noel F. Parrish Award in 1989 for outstanding achievement on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen. This award is named for the white general who had full faith in the Tuskegee Airmen and helped them to succeed at a time when many did not. Newsum was also a founding member of Colorado-based Hubert L. Hooks “Jones” Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. This group continues working today to honor the accomplishments and continue the legacy of African Americans that participated in the Army Air Corps during World War II.[10] He passed away on January 5th, 2013 at age 95 and was buried with full honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery. [11]
Footnotes ↓
[1] “Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy ‘Buck’ Newsum, 94, Persevered to be a Pilot,” The Denver Post, January 12, 2013, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.denverpost.com/2013/01/12/tuskegee-airman-fitzroy-buck-newsum-94-persevered-to-be-a-pilot/.
[2]Ibid.
[3] “WWII Enlisted Men Cards, 1940-1945,” entry for Fitzroy Newsum, database, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com.
[4] Charles River Editors, The Tuskegee Airmen: The History and Legacy of America’s First Black Fighter Pilots in World War II (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015).
[5] “Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy ‘Buck’ Newsum, 94, Persevered to be a Pilot,” Denver Post, January 12, 2013, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.denverpost.com/2013/01/12/tuskegee-airman-fitzroy-buck-newsum-94-persevered-to-be-a-pilot/.
[6] “Tuskegee Airmen,” HISTORY, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/tuskegee-airmen.
[7] Editors, The Tuskegee Airmen, 6.
[8] “Fitzroy Newsum,” accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/denverpost/obituary.aspx?n=fitzroy-newsum&pid=162234685&fhid=4373.
[9] “Tuskegee Airman Fitzroy ‘Buck’ Newsum, 94, Persevered to be a Pilot,” Denver Post, January 12, 2013, accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.denverpost.com/2013/01/12/tuskegee-airman-fitzroy-buck-newsum-94-persevered-to-be-a-pilot/.
[10] Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., Hubert L. “Hooks” Jones Chapter, Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, accessed July 15, 2018, http://colorado-redtails.com/.
[11] “Fitzroy Newsum,” accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/denverpost/obituary.aspx?n=fitzroy-newsum&pid=162234685&fhid=4373.
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