Local Tuskegee Airmen remembered amid Black History Month

GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A local fighter pilot who played a pivotal role in shaping American history before he passed, was honored at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum Saturday.

The museum, located in Glenville, held this free event in honor of Black History Month. The event was focused on Lieutenant Colonel Clarence Dart, who served as a fighter pilot in the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military pilots in the U.S. They served during World War II before the military was integrated.

“They decided that they had to show people that they were as good as anyone else,” said Warren Dart, Clarence’s son.

Lt. Col. Dart died in 2012. Since then, his son Warren has been telling his story. According to the National Air and Space Museum, the Tuskegee Airmen were a key reason why the government desegregated the armed forces after the war ended.

Lt. Col. Dart flew 95 missions over his two years as a World War II fighter pilot. The Empire State Aerosciences Museum is even home to two of the planes Dart flew. Warren said his dad’s plane was shot down twice during the war. Lt. Col. Dart’s bravery earned him two purple hearts.

“My dad was a very humble person, as children we never knew what he did in the war,” said Warren.

However, eventually that changed. Dart began speaking at different schools around the Capital Region. Warren said he hoped to show children how important education can be. Lt. Col. Dart believed anything was possible with a good education.

His efforts alongside the rest of the airmen, proved to play a crucial role in fighting racism.

“People were thinking that negros could not do the job so they wanted to show not only their own race, but the rest of the United States, that they were just as qualified as anyone else,” said Warren.

Dart was given numerous awards and medals including five Distinguished Flying Crosses, an Air Medal, a Victory Medal and the WWII Victory Medal. Warren was born in Saratoga Springs and said his dad spent much of his life there. When Dart died in 2012, he was laid to rest with full military honors in Saratoga Springs.