99th Flying Training Squadron Drive (Queens)
Present name:None
Location:At the north corner of Tuskegee Airmen Way and 154th Stree
Honoree: On January 16, 1941, the War Department announced the formation of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, an African-American unit, and of the Tuskegee Institute training program. Its first graduating class included Col. (later Gen.) Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., who became the commanding officer of the 99th Fighter Squadron and later the 332nd Fighter Group. The 99th Fighter Squadron flew its first combat mission against the island of Pantelleria on June 2, 1943. Later the squadron, operating from its base in North Africa, supported the invasion of Italy and participated in the air battle against Sicily. The 332nd Fighter Group flew more than 3,000 missions in Europe and destroyed almost 300 enemy planes. Eighty-eight of the group's pilots received the Distinguished Flying Cross. (Wills) [This is one of 18 namings along Tuskegee Airmen Way honoring outstanding units and individuals in African-American military history.]
LL:2014/34