Walter I. Lawson

Walter Irving "Ghost" Lawson (November 7, 1919 – February 26, 1952) was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.^[1]

Captain Walter I. Lawson
Walter I. Lawson
Birth name	Walter Irving Lawson
Nickname(s)	Ghost
Born	(1919-11-07)November 7, 1919 Chancellor, Virginia, US
Died	February 26, 1952(1952-02-26) (aged 32) Omaha, Nebraska, US
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army Air Force
Years of service	1942–1952
Rank	Captain
Unit	332nd Fighter Group
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal
Alma mater	Hampton Institute, now Hampton University
Spouse(s)	Cleo Hightower Lawson
Relations	Parents Robert and Lillian Lawson

Lawson was one of America's first thirty-four African American combat fighter pilots.^[1]

Early life

Lawson was born on November 7, 1919, in Chancellor, Virginia, Spotsylvania County. He was the son of Robert Nelson Lawson (July 2, 1886 - December 12, 1950), pastor of Spotsylvania County's First Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and Lillian M. Redmond Lawson (14 February 14, 1886 - April 3, 1977), a teacher and alumni of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) and Virginia State College ((now Virginia State University.^[2] He had two siblings: brother Robert D. Lawson and Prentiss A. Lawson.^[2] He was raised in Chancellor, Virginia.^[3]

Prior to his training at the Tuskegee Institute, Lawson attended Hampton Institute,^[3] where he studied as an automobile mechanic.^[4]

He was married to Cleo Hightower Lawson until his death.^[5]

Military career

 

The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."^{[N 1]}

In 1942, he enrolled in the fourth class of cadets in the 99 Pursuit Squadron, at Tuskegee Institute;^[7][8][9] In June, when set to graduate in one month,^[10] he was in a plane that crashed during a training exercise;^[11][12] the pilot, Robert Dawson, died after striking a transmission line, but Lawson survived.^[13][14][15] It was the first fatal accident at the flying school.^[10] On August 5, he graduated from the Tuskegee Advanced Pilot Cadet program, as a member of the fifth-ever Cadet Class Single Engine Section SE-42-G,^[1][16] receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.^[17][18][19] His service number was 0–791783.^[20][1][16] Lawson was one of America's first thirty-four African American combat fighter pilots.^[1][21] The U.S. Army Air Corps assigned him to the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron. Lawson was part of the first group of 99th Fighter Squadron pilots to be deployed overseas.^[20] Lawson flew missions over Sicily and Italy in 1943.^[22]

After World War II, Lawson served in Korea and Tokyo, Japan. In 1949, he was in the 3380th Technical Training Group in Kessler Field, Mississippi.^[23] At the time of his death in 1952, Lawson held the rank of Captain.^[20]

Awards

• Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006.^[24]

Death

On February 25, 1952, Lawson and a crew of fellow 343rd Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron members in a Boeing RB-50G Superfortress departed Hickam Field in Honolulu, Hawaii, after two months stationed in Tokyo, Japan.^[25][20][26] The plane was stationed at Ramey Air Force Base, in Puerto Rico.^[27]

On the morning of February 26, 1952, at 02:00, their aircraft, piloted by Zane G. Hall, hit a mound of dirt on the runaway of Offutt Field in Omaha, Nebraska, causing the plane to skid and explode.^[28][29] Twelve crew members were injured, five crew members, including Lawson, were killed instantly.^[30][25][20]

On March 3, 1952, Lawson was interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 3, Site 1383,^[20] survived by his wife Cleo, son Walter, and daughters Sandra and Carmelita.^[5][31] In 1994, his wife was buried with him.^[5]

Years later, Lawson's family spoke with crash survivor Stamps to hear the details of the 1952 crash, allowing the family to grief and get closure on Lawson's death.^[32]

See also

• List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes
• List of Tuskegee Airmen
• Military history of African Americans
• Dogfights (TV series)
• Executive Order 9981 – 1948 order by President Truman
• The Tuskegee Airmen (movie) – 1995 American television film

References

1. The red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.^[6]

Notes

1. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
2. Lillian Lawson Obituary^{[full citation needed]}
3. "Two Hamptonians In 4th Class Of Flying Cadets". The New York Age. 3 January 1942. p. 2.
4. "Select Five For Training". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. 1941-01-29. p. 9.
5. "Cleo Lawson, 76, Widow of Tuskegee Airman". Newsday. Suffolk Edition (Melville, New York. 1994-02-22. p. 81.
6. Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
7. "Join 99th Air Squad". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1942-01-24. p. 13.
8. "Five Hampton Students Named Air Corps Cadets". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. 1941-01-29. p. 12.
9. "Fourth Class Starts Tuskegee Air Course". The Selma Times-Journal. Selma, Alabama. 1941-12-12. p. 2.
10. "Nose Dive Of Plane Into River Ends Graduation Hopes Of Youthful Cadet". The Detroit Tribune. Detroit, Michigan. 1942-06-13. p. 1.
11. "Power Line Cut By Plane Crash". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. 1942-06-08. p. 1.
12. "Cadet Killed In Army Plane Crash". The Tuskegee News. Tuskegee, Alabama. 1942-06-11. p. 1.
13. "Negro Flying Cadet Killed". The Decatur Daily. Decatur, Alabama. 1942-06-09. p. 2.
14. "Negro Flier Killed As Plane Falls in River". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. 1942-06-09. p. 5.
15. "Two Plane Accidents Kill Three White, One Negro Army Aviators". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. 1942-06-09. p. 12.
16. "Class SE-42-G". CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
17. "More Tuskegee Men Get Wings". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1942-08-15. p. 5.
18. "8 Cadets Get Wings". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1942-08-15. p. 1.
19. "What Negroes Are Doing". The Birmingham News. Birmingham, Alabama. 1942-08-16. p. 11.
20. "Walter Irving Lawson". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
21. Dryden, Charles (25 June 2002). A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780817312664. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
22. "Five Pilots of the History-Making 99th Return to the United States". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1943-11-06. p. 5.
23. "Air Force Shift Now Under Way; 66 Moved". The Pittsburgh Courier. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 1949-06-18. p. 4.
24. "Public Law 109–213—APR. 11, 2006 Congressional Gold Medal to the Tuskegee Airmen" (PDF). Congress.gov. US Library of Congress. 11 April 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
25. "ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 70577". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
26. "2 Area Airmen Among 12 Hurt in B-50 Crash". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. 1952-02-28. p. 8.
27. "Dead In Crash Of B50 Bomber Are Identified". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 1952-02-27. p. 27.
28. "Victims Identified In Crash Of B-50". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. 1952-02-27. p. 2.
29. "Release Names In Omaha Crash". The Beatrice Times. Beatrice, Nebraska. 1952-02-28. p. 10.
30. "Airmen killed in crash are named". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. 1952-02-27. p. 4.
31. "McLurkin-Lawson". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1967-03-26. p. 76.
32. "16 APR CAPTAIN WALTER IRVING LAWSON". Pat DiGeorge. 16 April 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2021.^{[self-published source]}