March 2. 2005
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COURAGEOUS
A F R IC A N
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A M E R IC A N S
by Ron Weber
lïiskegee Airman Defends America
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
Luther Smith, now
84 shares story
Clouds of smoke, flames and debris pounded
the sides of his plane. A piece of the tail blew
off. He feared the incineration of the aircraft and
himself. Hands frozen on the controls and fight
ing for his life, the oxygen mask began leaking.
His body shaking, heart pounding, he knew he
had to do the impossible.
Radioing a frightened “goodbye,” to his
Tuskegee Airmen comrades he parted com
pany w ith his P 5 1 fighter plane. In all the com
motion, he pulled the parachute a little early. As
he was yanked from the plane at over 400 miles
an hour, his head hit something hard. When he
looked up and saw his aircraft disappear, then
everything went silent and dark. His comrades
watched in silence.
What would happen to their trusted friend
and fellow at arms? Would he pummel to the
ground and die or would he make survive and
stiffer the fate of angry Germans below. He and
his buddies had just reduced another enemy
airport to rubble.
N azi
so ld ie rs
w o u ld w ait p a
tie n tly on the
g ro u n d fo r the
American pilot. He
would surely pay
for what he did.
H itlerw ouldseeto
that.
Seconds later
Lt. Luther Sm ith
Lieutenant Luther
Smith woke up to what appeared to be a horrible
dream. Head pounding in pain and legs wound
up in a parachute tom in half by the early
ejection sequence. This he figured was surely
the end. He did what he could to free himself,
but then the world went dark once more. Was
it all over, or would he wake up again? Would
he ever see America and his loved ones again
or would he die right here and now in a desolate
European woods?
Suddenly Smith regained consciousness, only
if . S m ith 's P-51C M u sta n g Fighter Aircraft
to feel his body being slammed from all direc
tions. With crushed ribs, cuts and bruises all over
his body, and one foot turned 180 degrees back
wards, he kept crashing down through the trees.
When he awoke he was in a Y ugoslavian hospital
room surrounded by German guards.
For the next several months Smith was a
Pri soner of War. The doctors wanted to cut his
leg off, but he refused. He wanted American
doctors to look at it. Seven months later, when
W ITH
him who fight for our freedom.
The Tuskegee Airmen were formed during
World War II, originally to see if African Ameri
can men could fly airplanes and handle the
technical controls of American fighting planes.
They not only achieved this goal, but also went
on to set many military and flying records.
Flying over 200 escort missions, they never
lost a single bomber. By the end o f the war,
many white bomber pilots refused to fly with
any escorts other than the highly
skilled Tuskegee pilots.
Thanks to the sacrifices of
Luther Smith and the Tuskegee
Airmen, black soldiers around the
country were given opportunities
to fully participate in all facets of
America’s wars. Many paid the
ultimate price, giving their lives.
Others like Luther lost limbs and
suffered for decades to come. We
as a nation must never forget the
path they cut through centuries of prejudice so
that others may have it better.
Today, Smith and his wife Lois o f 60 years
live in Villanova, Pa. After his military experi
ence and 37 years as an aerospace engineer for
the General Electric Co., Luther is finally retired.
Today he works on his autobiography and
enjoys the company of his two grown children.
He also recently finished publishing a colorful
Thanks to the sacrifices o f
Luther Smith and the Tuskegee
Airmen, black soldiers around
the country were given
opportunities to fully participate
in all facets o f Americas wars.
the war ended and Russian soldiers freed the
American POWs, Smith began an 18-month
rehabilitation in an American hospital.
Sixty-one years later, this African American
war hero is not only still alive to tell his own
story, he is also president of the famous
Tuskegee Airmen’s Association.
During Black History Month, Smith, 84years
old, visited the Evergreen Aviation Museum in
McMinnville, to share a story that tells us all
why we love America and the Americans like
continued
Mr
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