In World War II, there was a division of African American airmen that made history flying planes in combat.
Around the same time, the United States military created the Tuskegee Weather Detachment to help support their missions and other segregated missions in the military.
Prior to 1941, there were no professional black meteorologists in the military or civilian life. That changed early in 1941, when five enlisted men entered the weather observer course at Chanute Field, Ill. as part of the 99th pursuit squadron.
Around the same time, Wallace P. Reed entered MIT as the first African American in the meteorological aviation cadet program. Reed graduated in Feb. 1942. These six men were the founding members of the Tuskegee Weather Detachment.
The United States military established the Tuskegee Weather Detachment on March 21, 1942, when opportunities for people of color were opening in the United States military. A small group of African American Army Air Corps servicemen became what was likely the United States’ first African American meteorologists.
(United States Air Force)
Tuskegee meteorologists supporting combat missions
The meteorologists supported combat missions throughout the theater of WWII.
(United States Air Force)
These men were trailblazers in meteorology and opened the door to include African Americans in the military and science fields.
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