New this month from the University of Nebraska Press is Blue Skies, Black Wings: African American Pioneers of Aviation by Samuel L. Broadnax. After a love of flying and years spent as a pilot at the Tuskegee Army Air Base, Samuel Broadnax began to research the experiences of other black pilots and “pioneers” of aviation. This book is a culmination of those tales, from Charles Wesley Peters who flew his own plane in  1911, to the 1945 Freeman Field mutiny against segregationist policies. This week Linking in Lincoln will pay tribute to the struggles and fights of these men with a few links to widen our horizons on what they might have went through.

To see what life was like for African Americans in the military, during any war, head to Africanamericans.com.

Another famous African American, who also fought injustice but on a more public front, is Ella Fitzgerald. Check out her staggeringly good rendition of “Blue Skies” on youtube.com now.

Tuskegee Army Air Base, where Broadnax trained as a pilot, is now called Sharp Field. Go to Wikipedia.com for a full history.

To find out more about the pioneers, in the U.S. and beyond,  in Aviation, check out aviation_calderara.com.

I can remember the first time I saw Glory. I was sick on the day they showed it in history, so my dad let me watch it at home. For more information on this stunning movie, and how it depicts African Americans in the military, head to imdb.com

In 12006, the Tuskegee Airmen won the Congressional Medal of Honor. To find out more about this unparalleled honor head to the cmohs.org.

Well readers, do you feel more informed? More equipped to head out and get your own copy of Blue Skies, Black Wings, if so check it out at the UNP website.  And don’t forget to join us tomorrow for another installment of This Week in History.