Le Roy Gillead Will Ride On XCOR "Legacy Flight"
In recognition of African American contributions to equal rights
and aviation, Mojave, CA-based XCOR Aerospace presented Tuskegee
Airman Le Roy Gillead, of San Francisco, with a ticket for a ride
to the edge of space. The presentation took place during the
University of California Riverside's 5th annual celebration of the
Tuskegee Airmen, titled, "Voices of the Tuskegee Airmen and
Airwomen."
"XCOR's efforts to make space flight affordable are made
possible only because we have inherited a tradition of freedom and
aviation excellence," XCOR CEO and founder, Jeff Greason said at
the ceremony. "We established the Legacy Flight program to thank
those persons and groups that have helped build this heritage. Our
first award goes to the Tuskegee Airmen who volunteered to defend
our nation even though they were treated as second-class citizens
at home. Their outstanding performance in combat paved the way for
the 1948 order by President Harry Truman to desegregate the
nation's armed services and this in turn was an important step
forward for civil rights within the United States."
Greason presented the Legacy Flight ticket to Le Roy Gillead,
who was one of the 401 original Tuskegee Airmen. Gillead served as
a triple-rated navigator, bombardier, and aerial gunner and was
assigned to the 477th Bombardment Group, which flew the B-25
Mitchell medium bomber. He was involved in the Freeman Field
Mutiny, in which black officers faced court martial for attending a
segregated white officers' club.
Gillead was put forward for the Legacy Flight by Tuskegee Airmen
Western Region President Col. Ralph Smith (USAF-Ret). "I am honored
to accept this award on behalf of my comrades in the Tuskegee
Airmen," Gillead said. "When we volunteered, none of us knew
exactly what the future would hold. I certainly didn't expect it to
lead to space."
Greason and Gillead thanked the Smith Family/Concerned Citizens
Cultural Foundation for Minority Affairs (SCMEB Foundation and UC
Riverside Librarian Dr. Ruth Jackson for hosting the Tuskegee
Airmen celebration.
"Dr. Jackson deserves a great deal of credit for keeping the
memory of the Tuskegee Airmen vibrant," Greason said. "She was the
driving force behind making the UC Riverside Libraries the home of
the Western Region Tuskegee Airmen Archive."
The Archive celebrates the pilots and others who broke the race
barrier for African Americans in military aviation and chronicles
not only their military careers, but their entire lives. It is
considered the premier, full-life research archive in the United
States that is dedicated to the Tuskegee Airmen and Airwomen.
"People sometimes forget that the achievements of the men and
women of the Tuskegee Airmen did not end with World War II," said
Dr. Jackson. "Many went on to illustrious military careers while
others achieved high distinction in politics, law, medicine,
education, the arts, business and other fields."
"We do all we can to preserve their memories and their lives for
future generations," she said. "The award of the Legacy Flight to
Mr. Gillead on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen will help their memory
fly even higher -- to the edge of space."
XCOR will fly Mr. Gillead to the edge of space aboard its Lynx
suborbital vehicle. The vehicle is expected to make its first
flight in 2010, and commercial operations will begin after
successful completion of its test flight program. Training and
screening will be provided by XCOR's General Sales Agent,
RocketShip Tours.