A historical qualitative case study will be performed with the intent of drawing inferences toward potential current and future leadership challenges. The case study analysis used during this study will focus on the discrimination that destroyed the unit cohesion of the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) and resulted in its inability to accomplish its mission. It was more important for those in charge of the 477th to maintain segregation in the name of control than it was to get the unit ready for war. The paper describes a mutiny that was a protest of the racist and segregationist policies of Col Robert R. Selway, Jr. (477th Commander), Maj Gen Frank O Donnell Monk Hunter (First Air Force Commander), and nearly the entire Air Staff at Headquarters Army Air Forces. The disgraceful situation occurred because of the terrible way this nation treated its combat veterans who had already fought one war for their country and were now on their way to fighting another. The Freeman Field Mutiny did not win social equality for black personnel, but it did result in black command for the 477th the white command structure did not survive. Even though segregation in the military officially ended with President Truman's signing of Executive Order 9981, true equal rights were still decades away. Only most recently has our military and national leadership started recognizing the importance of performance over the color of someone s skin. The paper concludes with a brief statement of today s USAF policies concerning discrimination with just a few possible implications and challenges for all leaders. First, leaders must identify discrimination early and eliminate it before unit cohesion, teamwork, and mission accomplishment are adversely affected. Next, the Air Force must possess the very best the nation has to offer while ensuring no group feels dominant or excluded. Finally leaders must eliminate all obstacles to their personnel if they want them to reach their full potential.

This story reflects the heroic legacy of the 101 brave black officers of the 477th Bombardment Group, and the hundred of other members of this Group: enlisted men, as well as officers who one way or another were supportive of this protest. In the face of arrest of quarters, and the threat of court-martial, these 101 stood tall and did not blink. --amazon.com.

In the Freeman Field Photograph, Sidney fears she may never see her Daddy again. Her father, a Tuskegee Airman, has been arrested for protesting segregation at Freeman Army Airfield. Proud, but sad, Sidney seeks one last photograph of her father, setting off to find the one man she believes can help. Set during the 1945 Freeman Field incident, this story encourages readers to stand up for themselves and for what they believe and shows how something small (like a photograph) can make a big difference.

Once an obscure piece of World War II history, the Tuskegee Airmen are now among the most celebrated and documented aviators in military history. With this growth in popularity, however, have come a number of inaccurate stories and assumptions. Misconceptions about the Tuskegee Airmen refutes fifty-five of these myths, correcting the historical record while preserving the Airmen’s rightful reputation as excellent servicemen. The myths examined include: the Tuskegee Airmen never losing a bomber to an enemy aircraft; that Lee Archer was an ace; that Roscoe Brown was the first American pilot to shoot down a German jet; that Charles McGee has the highest total combat missions flown; and that Daniel “Chappie” James was the leader of the “Freeman Field Mutiny.” Historian Daniel Haulman, an expert on the Airmen with many published books on the subject, conclusively disproves these misconceptions through primary documents like monthly histories, daily narrative mission reports, honor-awarding orders, and reports on missing crews, thereby proving that the Airmen were praiseworthy, even without embellishments to their story.