Only 25 Members Of The Unit Survive Today

Another of the famed Tuskegee Airmen has Gone West.  Lt. Col. Eldridge Williams passed away on July 2 at the age of 97, according to a report from the Miami Herald.

Williams graduated from Officer Candidate School in the same class as actor Clark Gable, but with far less attention. When he was assigned to the Tuskegee Institute, an Army doctor grounded him for "poor eyesight," according to the report.

He rose to the rank of Captain, and became a flight instructor at Tuskegee. He was not assigned to duty overseas, but rather trained the men who flew combat missions in the European theater. He said he wanted to fly in combat. "You're on the team, you want to play," he once said.

Williams served as a flight instructor until the end of the war. He continued his military career until 1963, and then became a physical education teacher at a Miami middle school. After two years, he was promoted to an administrative position where he was tasked with integrating the Dade County, FL public schools.

Williams was one of the Tuskegee airmen presented with a Congressional Gold Medal by then-President George W. Bush in 2007. He was also invited to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

The paper reports that there are now only 25 members of the unit who survive.

(Lt. Col. Eldridge Williams pictured in graduation photo)

FMI: http://tuskegeeairmen.org/