Tuskegee Airman Recalls 'Difficult' Times in the Service

William Hicks was 20 years old in 1942 when he enlisted in the Tuskegee Airmen program.

“I wasn’t even old enough to vote. At that time you had to be 21,” said the 91-year-old, who resided in Pittsburgh for decades, but now lives in North Carolina. 

, where members of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial of Greater Pittsburgh were given a donation to . 

Western Pennsylvania had the largest contingency of soldiers who enlisted in the Tuskegee Airmen program, with Sewickley contributing eight, according to the .

Their story is now being told as part of the U.S. Air Force's history in movies like the , and in documentaries, including WQED's Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania's Tuskegee Airmen.

But Hicks said their in World War II weren't always recognized. He also points out that not all of the Tuskegee men, such as himself, were pilots.

Hicks completed basic training at Mather Field in California and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he received engineering training on airplanes. From there, he went to Chanute Field, Illinois and became an aircraft electrical specialist and finally landed in Detroit and joined up with the Tuskegee Airmen.

“When I first went in they told me, ‘We do not need anymore pilots.  The only thing we need is someone who can fix airplanes.’ So I started to fix airplanes," he said. 

Hicks spoke candidly about his military experiences, saying there were times that were enjoyable and times that were difficult. Hicks served overseas in Italy, with missions in Berlin, Naples and Ramitelli, where Tuskegee pilots were flying escort missions to help guard American pilots on bombing missions.

Hicks said most pilots agree that without the ground crew, they wouldn't have been able to do their jobs. When mechanics worked on a plane, he said they didn't always have the necessary equipment, but they checked and double checked to make sure every nut and bolt was in place. After the planes flew out, mechanics often sat to play cards, read books or play instruments, all while wondering if their particular plane had survived the mission. 

Hicks said the best feeling as a mechanic was hearing the hum of the returning planes and spotting his particular plane on the horizon. 

"That is the most wonderful feeling you could experience... You're looking for the one that you worked on." 

Hicks grew up on a farm in Greenwood, South Carolina and was no stranger to segregation in the states. While enlistees were helping to combat enemy forces, he said they also had to battle institutional racism in the military. He recalled a time when another unit was supposed to meet up with his, but failed to show, leaving them low on gasoline and ammunition. 

“We still made the trip. Had we not made that trip, I don’t think we would have ever been able to live it down,” he said.

There was another instance when a man with about 20 sheep began to cross the end of the runway just as the P-51 airplanes headed down the runway for take off. One plane struck the sheep, but that didn’t stop any from taking flight, Hicks said. He doesn't believe the incident was a coincidence.

“Things were difficult at the time when we were in the service. We didn’t get a lot of credit."

Hicks said he appreciates being honored, something he never thought would happen.

"I’m 91 years old and I have been really blessed and I’m thankful for that.”