Speakers at this fall’s groundbreaking for the U.S. Air Force Academy’s new Tuskegee Airmen Memorial shared admiration and respect for the storied World War II pilots and airmen.

Situated at the entrance to Davis Airfield near the South Gate, the memorial will feature full-scale models of a P-51 Mustang, which was famously flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, and a Boeing T-7A Red Hawk, which will be the newest trainer aircraft for the Air Force. The T-7 will also feature a red tail, mimicking the look of the P-51s that gave the Tuskegee Airmen their Red Tails nickname.

Charles ’81 and Karen Phillips are the lead donors for the project. Charles Phillips, managing partner and co-founder of Recognize, a technology investment and transformation company, spoke during the ceremony, framing the historic importance of the Tuskegee Airmen. He addressed a portion of his remarks to cadets.

“When you pass this monument as you return from the airfield during your always hurried day, let it interrupt you,” he said. “Think about it. Let it ask a few hard questions. Are you training to standard or to the standard they set? Are you using your wings to lift those around you?”

The Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military, flew fighter aircraft in the European and African theaters during World War II, escorting bombers. Nearly 1,000 pilots graduated from the program, training at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), and they went on to fly over 1,500 missions. 

Former Commandant of Cadets Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Sam Cox ’84, vice president of Air Force systems at the Boeing Company, a major donor to the project, said the T-7 Red Hawk will highlight the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and inspire future fighter pilots during their training journey.

“When those aspiring pilots go out onto the flight line and see that T-7 with the red tails, they’re going to know the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, and they’re going to remember that,” he said. 

The USAFA classes of 1986, 1990 and 1996 also contributed to the memorial through their reunion class gifts, and many class members attended the groundbreaking.