It is interesting, when analyzing the battle for equality throughout American history, to look more closely depth some of the groups and organizations that have fiercely set out to change the face of the military forever. . The Tuskegee Airmen are well known throughout the country, but the WASP, or Women Airforce Service Pilots, have received little recognition for their accomplishments. These two radical organizations had the odds stacked against them and still managed to prove the skeptics wrong. It is said that they received more rigorous training to ensure their failure, but they defied all odds and forced America and the government to accept their skills as pilots. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As the possibility of war became more and more of a reality, the United States became more and more desperate for pilots. In an effort to recruit as many potential pilots as possible, the program accepted African Americans and women. While the Tuskegee Airmen were well known, the WASP faced a different challenge. Even during their training, the women were not allowed to tell anyone what they were doing, for fear of their family's reaction. It was believed that husbands, children, and parents did not want to think about their adorable daughters flying planes and contributing to the war (Military History Now, 2012). At first, white units did not want to fly with colored Tuskegee Airmen, but that was not their only opposition (). African Americans also opposed the draft because it allowed segregation at a time when they were trying to establish their civil rights (Weebly, 2013). “According to Chronicles Magazine author Roger McGrath, the creation of the Tuskegee Airmen was not intended as a desegregation effort but rather as a political strategy for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. There was a growing "urban black community" in which Roosevelt wanted to secure votes. Thus, he capitalized on this political opportunity by introducing the Tuskegee Airmen (Weebly, 2013). The government feared that the use of female pilots would be used for propaganda purposes against America in Japan, pointing out that America was in such trouble that it had to use women (YouTube, 2014). The government was ashamed and stamped out the WASP records by locking them away in government archives for 33 years, completely excluding them from the history books. The program was later disbanded in 1944 and WASP was all but forgotten (YouTube, 2014). The Tuskegee Airmen were the first black military pilots in history and were openly credited with it (). When WASP women heard the Airforce announce in 1977 that 10 women had graduated, becoming the first female military aviators in history, WASP lobbied again to have their records published (YouTube, 2014 ). They felt like they were being robbed of the credit they rightly deserved. It was 33 years later that the public learned what they had actually accomplished and military recognition was given to the remaining survivors (Military History Now, 2012). The Tuskegee Airmen did not face such severe pushback, although at first they called themselves the Tuskegee Experiment. There was no certainty that black Americans would be good military aviators, hence the title “experiment.” Ultimately, they flew 200 combat missions and were known for their success withoutprevious (History.com, 2009). The WASP is still virtually unknown to this day. While it trained and carried out military missions, the WASP was considered a civilian organization, although it lived in military barracks and conducted training exercises every morning (YouTube, 2014). They were active from 1942 to 1944 and flew a total of 12,600 missions, flew 78 different types of aircraft, and flew over 60 million mission miles (Military History Now, 2012). They were denied military honors, transportation and burial of the dead, military retirement and flags for the coffins of the deceased. Authorities went so far as to prohibit families of missing WASP members from displaying a gold star in the window, a symbol of a family member lost during the war (YouTube, 2010). The Tuskegee Airmen did not face many of these restrictions. WASP finally won the rights it was denied 40 years later, but one former WASP says nothing else mattered except giving her fellow pilots a proper military burial (YouTube, 2010). At the time, women and black people were considered unequal. white men. I wondered: Who did the public view as less than? Ultimately, who was the lesser of the two evils? Women were considered incapable of doing men's work, and although the Tuskegee Airmen were men, they were considered an inferior race. On one side you have a woman, on the other a man, but an African-American. Throughout history, it seems that black men have been trusted a little more than white WASP women, but this can be easily disputed. Maybe it wasn't just about trust, but also about feeling protected. Women were meant to be these delicate, helpless human beings, while the Red Tails, although considered ignorant, were men and therefore were seen as more capable of handling stressful and long-lasting situations. At first, people did not believe that women had the physical strength to pilot a fighter or bomber (YouTube, 2014). The testimony of a WASP pilot truly showed the level of disbelief of male pilots. She remembers one day of a no-fly day, winds were gusting to 45 mph and planes were grounded because they were flailing in the air. The instructor looked at her and told her they were going up. I can only imagine his shock as I flew Cessnas myself and can attest to the difficulty of controlling an aircraft in such minimal conditions. He told him: If you can't fly a plane in 45 mph crosswinds, you can't fly. So she left. He landed, then looked at her and told her it was his turn. He fully assumed she would fail and he could send her packing, but the little lady had something to prove. She made a successful landing. He thought she got lucky so he made her draw another one. When they returned to the room where the others were waiting, her boyfriend, who was a fellow pilot, approached the instructor and asked, "Well, how is she?" the instructor replied, “Did you know she could fly?” He was really shocked. My favorite part of the movie was when she said that she had the determination of an ox that day and that if he had told her to make a bathtub fly, she could have done it. do (YouTube, 2014). Even though the groups' missions were not the same, the progress they made for their respective race and gender was. The Tuskegee, also known as"Red Tails", flew heavy bomber escort missions to ensure their protection while traveling to and from their targets (). They became well known for their success and were personally requested by many units as an escort service. To make sure people knew who they were, they painted the tail of their plane red, this became their trademark (Weebly). When active, they had a staggering 100% success rate, never allowing enemies to pass through their defenses (History.com, 2009). The WASP, meanwhile, remained in the United States and conducted convoy and other missions to free men for service overseas. They would transport military aircraft between bases to replace damaged or destroyed ones or simply move an aircraft to where it was needed most (YouTube, 2010). There was no chance they would ever be allowed to fly in combat, and it was still rare for a woman to be entrusted with a military aircraft. However, they still suffered 38 casualties (Military History Now, 2012). One WASP member said that if she could help by freeing a man from domestic service to help with the war effort, that was all she could hope for (YouTube,2010).The start of these groups was not as simple as one might assume. Even though the military desperately needed help, they did not want to get to the point of using black people and women in their military. Eleanor Roosevelt actually played a surprising role in the beginnings of these revolutionary organizations. She was a very activist and, during her husband's term, she was an important player in the equal rights movement. On a trip to Tuskegee, she hopped on a plane with pilot Charles “Chief” Anderson and took a 40-minute ride. Anderson was known as the father of black aviation because of his influence on black pilots and the number of men he trained from 1933 until his death in 1996 (National Park Service). Roosevelt knew that if others saw that she had confidence in a pilot of color, they would realize the capabilities of African American pilots (Weebly, 2013). WASP leader Jaqueline Cochrin hosted a lunch meeting with Mrs. Roosevelt to plead her case (YouTube, 2014). I guess she hoped the first lady would be compassionate as a woman herself. She was repeatedly denied permission and faced refusal again, but she persisted. She then went to Brittan to speak with General Arnold in hopes of having a chance, but the President only told her that in case he reconsidered his decision or found himself in need of female pilots, he would let him know, even calling it a “small mistake”. of a girl.” He did not believe they were capable of handling the bombers, especially in adverse weather conditions (YouTube, 2014). Once the group was approved, General Arnold assumed they would only fly small planes (YouTube, 2014). Cochrin set out to find the most capable pilots, she couldn't risk failure because the reputation they were trying so hard to achieve would be tarnished forever. The Tuskegee Airman naturally adopted a similar mindset. Knowing that they would be judged more harshly than others, they put their men through rigorous training and hired only the most dedicated individuals. WASP conducted an initial test with a small group of women, the most qualified the country has to offer. There were several conditions for being accepted into such a revolutionary group. Height and weight were a given, but you also had to be at least 50, 2013)..