Alfred M. Gorham | |
|---|---|
| File:Alfred Gorham.png 2nd lieutenant Alfred Gorham in 1944 | |
| Birth name | Alfred M. Gorham |
| Born | 1920 Waukesha, Wisconsin |
| Died | 2009 (aged 88–89) |
| Buried | |
| Branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942-1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Commands | 301st Fighter Squadron |
| Awards | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css must have content model "Sanitized CSS" for TemplateStyles (current model is "wikitext").
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2nd Lt. Alfred M. Gorham (1920-2009) was a Tuskegee Airman from Waukesha Wisconsin.[1] He was the only Tuskegee Airman from Wisconsin, and he was a prisoner of war after his plane went down over Munich, Germany in World War II.[2][3]
Military service[]
The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."[N 1]
World War II[]
After joining the Army Air Force in 1942[5] Gorham became a pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen. He graduated from the Tuskegee University February 8, 1944.[6]
On August 7, 1944 Gorham was part of a group of Tuskegee Airmen escorting B-24 bombers. The mission was a bombing raid on oil refineries inside Germany at Blechhammer. Gorham got lost while returning from the mission. He tried to land at Lesina Airfield. The airfield had no lights and Gorham crash landed into Lake Lesina. The P-51 burst into flames but Gorham survived.[7]
He saw action over Budapest Hungary and shot down two German Focke-Wulf 190 Fighters. In 1945 his P-51 had engine trouble over Munich Germany and he bailed out. He was captured and held by the Germans until the end of the war.[2][8]
Awards[]
Purple Heart ribbon
Prisoner of War Medal ribbon[2]- The Congressional Gold Medal as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen[9]
Education[]
Waukesha High School June 1938.
Personal life[]
After graduating from Waukesha High School in 1938 Gorham was accepted to Carrol College. However he took a job as a precision tool grinder. He later enlisted in the army and eventually he was accepted to the Tuskegee Airmen.[1]
See also[]
- Executive Order 9981
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
- Military history of African Americans
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Alfred Gorham Missing, Report". Waukesha Daily Freeman. 21 March 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1240197/alfred_gorham/. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Olympian, Doctor, Tuskegee Airman Being Inducted to Wall of Fame at Waukesha South". Patch Media. 28 August 2012. https://patch.com/wisconsin/waukesha/olympian-doctor-tuskegee-airman-being-inducted-to-wal7da77fcb27. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ "List of Pilot Graduates". Tuskegee University. https://www.tuskegee.edu/support-tu/tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-listing. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
- ↑ "Waukesha Co. Airport hosting RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit to honor Wisconsin’s only Tuskegee Airman". TRIBUNE BROADCASTING. 29 August 2019. https://fox6now.com/2019/08/29/waukesha-co-airport-hosting-rise-above-traveling-exhibit-to-honor-wisconsins-only-tuskegee-airman/. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ "The Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Red Tail Squadron. https://www.redtail.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-roster/. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ "CAF Red Tail Squadron®". The CAF Red Tail Squadron. https://www.redtail.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/08-RTMe.pdf. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
- ↑ Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome A.; Haulman, Daniel Lee (1 January 2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. Montgomery, Alabama: NewSouth Books. p. 177. ISBN 978-1588382443.
- ↑ Shilobrit, Tracy (27 August 2019). "RISE ABOVE event to Honor Waukesha's Tuskegee Airman". Patch Media. https://patch.com/wisconsin/waukesha/rise-above-event-honor-waukeshas-tuskegee-airman. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
Notes[]
External links[]
- Tuskegee Airmen at Tuskegee University
- Tuskegee Airmen Archives at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
- Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
- Fly (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
The original article can be found at Alfred Gorham and the edit history here.