![]() Halvorsen, James was expelled from his academic studies at Tuskegee his senior year for going on too many "escapades" that were frowned upon by the institution. At 6'4" and 250 pounds, the athletic teen earned himself a football scholarship to the famed Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.Īccording to Air Force historian Howard E. Chappie, as they called him - a nickname that was his brother Charles' until Charles passed it down to him – graduated high school in 1937. VIRIN: 220210-O-D0439-039 From Dreams to RealityĪs a Black child in the segregated south, James wasn't sure what type of job he would one day be able to get, but he grew up watching the takeoffs and landings at nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station, which gave him the dream of being a pilot. Clearly, her youngest son took that to heart. One of the most memorable things she taught her pupils was to never quit. According to the article, she ran the school for 52 years until she died at the age of 82. She started her own school, which gradually attracted other neighborhood kids. ![]() When James was young, his mother decided she would teach her own children because she wasn't impressed with the quality of education at the local segregated public school, according to an Air Force Magazine article. His dad was a laborer at a gas company and his mother was a teacher. 11, 1920, in Pensacola, Florida, and was the youngest of 17 children. As an airman who served in three wars, James overcame extreme poverty, racism and segregation - including in the military - to become a skilled tactician in combat and a steady-handed leader whose speeches on patriotism and the American way were highly regarded. James died shortly after he left service in 1978, but his accomplishments are worth celebration. Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., the first Black man to become a four-star general in any U.S. 11, however, would be the 101st birthday of Air Force Gen. There are numerous Black American service members who broke barriers and could be highlighted during Black History Month.
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