| Lieutenant Colonel Robert Friend | |
|---|---|
| File:File:Robert Friend Photo of Tuskegee Airman.gif | |
| Birth name | Robert Jones Friend |
| Born | February 29, 1920 |
| Died | June 21, 2019 (aged 99)[1] |
| Place of birth | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Place of death | Long Beach, California[2] |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943-1971 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Awards |
|
| Spouse(s) |
|
| Relations | 7 children |
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Jones Friend (1920–2019) was a Tuskegee airman in WW2 and led the USAF's Project Blue Book from 1958 to 1963.[3][4] He also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He had a 28-year military career.
Military career[]
During World War II, Friend had 142 combat missions.[5] After WWII began the army began a segregated program for black pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama. Friend immediately signed up and completed training. The U.S. Army Air Corp commissioned him as an officer in the 332nd Fighter Group. He was sent to Africa and later Europe.[1]
When WWII ended Friend stayed in the service and eventually served in The Korean War and The Vietnam War. He was in the military for a total of 28 years. He was a graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology.[2]
Awards[]
2 Distinguished Flying Crosses (United States)
Bronze Star Medal ribbon
U.S. Army Presidential Unit Citation ribbon
3 U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal ribbons- The Air Medal
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007)[1][6]
Air Force study on UFOs[]
Friend said he believed in the possibility of life in Extraterrestrial life in the universe. Friend led the Air Force study on UFOs. In 1952 the U.S. Air Force started a classified study called Project Blue Book. The project was shut down in 1969 even though 701 documented incidents remain a mystery.[7]
Personal[]
Born is Columbia, South Carolina February 29, 1920. From an early age Friend loved airplanes. Friend wanted to sign up to fly for the army but he was turned away because he was black. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and studied aviation.[1] Friend was married three times. Friend's first marriage to Doris “Bunny” Goodwin ended in divorce; together they had two children, one boy and one girl. His second marriage to Kathryn Ann Holland also ended in divorce. The marriage to Kathryn Ann Holland produced four children: three boys and one girl. His third marriage to Anna Rice lasted more than 50 years. Together Robert friend and Anna had one biological daughter and one adopted daughter.[7]
Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal front
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Robert Friend". CAF Red Tail Squadron. https://www.redtail.org/portraits-tuskegee-airmen-robert-friend/. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hahn, Jason Duaine. "Tuskegee Airman Robert Friend, Who Flew 142 Combat Missions in World War II, Dead at 99". Meredith Corporation. https://people.com/human-interest/tuskegee-airman-robert-friend-dead-99/. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ "Robert J. Friend, Tuskegee Pilot Who Led U.F.O. Project, Is Dead at 99". 26 June 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/26/obituaries/robert-j-friend-dead.html.
- ↑ Meilan Solly (26 June 2019). "Robert Friend, Tuskegee Airman Who Flew in 142 Combat Missions, Dies at 99". https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/robert-friend-tuskegee-airman-who-flew-142-combat-missions-dies-99-180972492/.
- ↑ Jackson, Amanda (23 June 2019). "Robert Friend, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 99". Cable News Network. https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/23/us/robert-friend-tuskegee-airmen-obit-trnd/index.html. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ Kruzel, John J.. "President, Congress Honor Tuskegee Airmen". U.S. Army. https://www.army.mil/article/2476/president_congress_honor_tuskegee_airmen. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Smith, Harrison (23 June 2019). "Robert Friend, Tuskegee fighter pilot who led Air Force study on UFOs, dies at 99". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/robert-friend-tuskegee-fighter-pilot-who-led-air-force-study-on-ufos-dies-at-99/2019/06/23/1895fa8c-95c2-11e9-830a-21b9b36b64ad_story.html?noredirect=on. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
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)
- Executive Order 9981
- List of African American Medal of Honor recipients
- Military history of African Americans
The original article can be found at Robert Friend (pilot) and the edit history here.