Entries by Stan Stokes

Tuskegee Airman Clarence Jamison

Tuskegee Airman Clarence Jamison Lt. Col. Clarence C. Jamison was a pioneering Tuskegee Airman, with 22-years of military service during and after World War II. His journey from Little Rock, Arkansas to Anzio, Italy and to Korea is one of historic firsts and heroic accomplishments. While living in Chicago with an uncle and attending University […]

Tuskegee Airman Robert Williams

Tuskegee Airman Robert Williams Born in Ottumwa, Iowa, Robert “Bob” Williams was a Tuskegee Airman and pioneer Aviator who spearheaded a movie project about them.  Bob’s father was a pilot and he encouraged his two sons to learn to fly.  Eventually they became three of only 102 black pilots in the United States at that […]

Capt. Freddie Hutchens

Capt. Freddie E. Hutchins Tuskegee Airman Freddie Hutchins of Donaldsonville, Ga., graduated from flight training on April 29, 1943, at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. In December, he deployed to Italy with the 302nd Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group. The 302nd Fighter Squadron flew its first combat mission on Feb. 5, […]

Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Paul Lehman

Lt. Col. Paul Lehman, Paul David Lehman, Jr. was born on October 4, 1922. He enlisted in the United States Army in Los Angeles, California in November of 1942. He opted for aviation cadet training and quickly found himself on a train heading to Tuskegee, Alabama. At Tuskegee, Moton Field and Tuskegee Army Airfield were […]

Lt. Col. Bob Friend

Lt. Col. Robert Friend After flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield, Bob Friend became a fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group in Italy just in time for the Anzio Invasion. At the time, the 4 squadrons within the 332nd were flying the Bell P-39 Airacobra. After a few months flying the P-39, the 332nd […]

Lt. Col. Harry Stewart

This is my painting honoring Lt. Col. Harry Stewart . He signed up with the US Army Air Corps on his 18th birthday and completed his pilot training at Tuskegee Army Airfield on June 25th, 1944. Shortly afterward, he was sent to Italy as a part of the 332nd Fighter Group, the “Red Tails”. Harry […]

Stan Stokes painting of P-51D Mustang “Bunny”

The Palm Springs Air Museum’s P-51D Mustang “Bunny” was originally Bob Pond’s aircraft. He had purchased it in 1981. My first flight in it was in the summer of 1992. Out of all of the airplanes that Bob had in his collection, this was his favorite one. He just reeky clicked with it and loved […]

Joan and I at the door of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

Last June, Joan and I were invited to attend the Change of Command Ceremony for the Air Force One Commanding Officer. The ceremony took place in the Air Force One Complex at Joint Base Andrews.  They had the formal Change of Command Ceremony, then a very nice luncheon for everybody. During the luncheon, SAM 29000, […]

Boeing VC-25B

Boeing VC-25B Now, on to the future, the Boeing VC-25B. The current prime Air Force One aircraft, the Boeing VC-25As, are getting to be old and technically very behind the times. The 89th Airlift Wing has been using these two airplane for thirty years now. They were based on the Boeing 747-200 airliners,  an earlier […]