211624 John H. Grant United States Air Force from:Philadelphia, PA John H Grant served in the Army as an aircraft mechanic based in Guam, maintaining the planes for the airmen, the first African Americans to take to the skies on behalf of the United States. He told his son, John Jr., that he believed the aviators never received the respect they deserved.
So Mr. Grant was thrilled when their combat exploits and the prejudice they faced were chronicled in the movie Red Tails in 2012, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard. "Someone finally noticed," he told his son.
In 2006, six decades after they flew the signature red-tailed planes, the airmen were invited to the White House to receive special commendation medals. The presentation was authorized by Congress. Though he could not attend, Mr. Grant received the medal, which reads, "Tuskegee Airmen, 1941 to 1949."
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