A national symbol of heroism, diversity, and military excellence, Tuskegee Airman Spann Watson, recently awed a group of NOAA's National Weather Service employees celebrating Black History Month. (Click image for larger view.)

"The fact that colored people were going to fly reverberated across America," the Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel said. "The Tuskegee experiment, or should I say experience, showed that we could not only do the job, but do it well. We opened the door for a lot of people."

Lt. Col. Watson's path to becoming one of the Air Force's first black pilots began as a 10-year-old when he witnessed world hero Charles A. Lindbergh fly his famous plane, "The Spirit of St. Louis," into New Jersey's Teterboro Airport on July 4, 1927. He became a mechanical engineering student at Howard University and it was there, on the eve of World War Two, that he began his aviation career at the College Pilot Training Program. In fact, some of his first aviation training was through a civil aeronautics program from none other than the Department of Commerce, NOAA's parent agency.

"It was my dream to join the U.S. Air Force, but I was turned down time after time," said the 84-year-old icon. "It wasn't until a law suit by the NAACP that the government agreed to open the first all-black aviation program at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama."

After earning their wings, the first graduating class, the famed 99th Fighter Squadron, was shipped to Casablanca to become an integral part of the allied campaign in North Africa. The pilot, whose keen eyesight still remains without glasses, speaks proudly of his squadron's record over Africa and Europe.

"We were assigned the job of escorting bombers and earned the distinction of not losing a single one," he told his rapt audience at the NWS Eastern Region Headquarters near his home on Long Island. "To this day, some of my best friends are the bomber pilots, who are white, that made it home safely thanks to the 99th Fighter Squadron." (Click image for larger view.)

In 1965, after a 23-year military career, the Lieutenant Colonel joined the Federal Aviation Administration as an equal opportunity specialist. A strong supporter of youth, he has been responsible for more than 30 youngsters winning appointments to the three major service academies. He has been instrumental in helping hundreds of minorities gain employment, including 483 airline flight attendants and first-time pilots. Indeed, it is a matter of historical record that, during the late 1940's, Spann Watson played a key role in developing an integration plan for the Armed Forces that became the nation's official policy.

In recognition of his record of service, Lt. Col. Watson's photograph hangs with other Tuskegee Airmen in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. He has been elected as an "Elder Statesman of Aviation" by the National Aeronautics Association and served as the National president of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group he helped organize. Among his many honors include recognition by the National Coalition of Black Federal Aviation Employees; the Brigadier General Noel F. Parrish Award—the highest honor of the Tuskegee Airmen; Department of Transportation Exceptional Service Citation for his exceptional achievements in the area of equal opportunity; the Legion of Merit from the mayor of Washington and the D.C. National Guard Organization; and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Public Service from Rhode Island College.

"The Spirit of the 99th Fighter Squadron will never die"—First Lt. Spann Watson, June 1949.

"The Dream of the Tuskegee Airmen will live forever"—Spann Watson, 2000

(NOAA photos courtesy of Robert Chartuk, NOAA's National Weather Service Eastern Region. Please credit "NOAA.")