Both Served Overseas As Mechanics For The Unit In Italy

Two more of the storied Tuskegee Airmen have gone west, passing on the same day in their respective homes in Los Angeles.

Radio station KFI reports that Clarence E. Huntley Jr. and Joseph Shambrey both died on Jan. 5.

The two enlisted in 1942, and both served as mechanics during the war, maintaining the P-39, P-47, and P-51 aircraft flown by the unit. The were stationed in Italy as part of the 100th Fighter Squadron of the Army Air Force's 332nd Fighter Group in 1944.

Huntley was reportedly responsible for the safe operation of the airplane flown by the squadron commander, Capt. Andrew D. Turner. His concern for the aircraft led the commanding officer to nickname Huntley "Mother", according to Huntley's nephew Craig.

Shambrey's son Tim said that the men who served in the unit encountered racism during their time in the service. He said that his father remembered getting off a train when returning from service, and white troops were given handshakes and free coffee at a hospitality station in Alabama. He and other black servicemen were not greeted, and were asked to pay for their coffee ... which they did. "They were very proud and did not want to make a fuss ... they were already used to so much discrimination," Tim Shambrey said.

FMI: www.tuskegeeairmen.org