The 2012 film Red Tails by Anthony Hemingway tells the story of Tuskegee Airmen, who were African-American fighter pilots who fought in Italy during World War II. The film details the actions of the Airmen as well as how the men had to overcome racism and discrimination in both Italy and the Military in order to garner respect and recognition. Although the film follows the actions of several of the Tuskegee Airmen, the two characters who seem to be the primary focuses of the film are Captain Marty Julian and 1st Lieutenant Joe Little, who serve as foils for one another as they both experience their own individual struggles due to their respective situations, while constantly have conflicting opinions on how to approach certain situations. Moreover, Captain Julian deals with alcoholism, while 1st Lieutenant Little deals with the challenges of being in a relationship with an Italian woman, during a time period that was extremely racist and prejudiced and when interracial relationships were looked down upon. In addition to that, these men experienced severe transgressions and acts of racism throughout their time in the military. To add to their obstacles, their white counterparts did not believe that African-Americans had the capability of being adequate fighter pilots and were very demeaning towards them. in spite of this, the Tuskegee Airmen got the opportunity to show the military their talent when they came into contact with a group of German fighter pilots and forced them to retreat. As time went on, they finally got the opportunity to escort the USAAF Bomber crew and successfully did so, which allowed them to gain respect from the white members of the military. The airmen’s final task was to only escort the Bomber Crew halfway to Berlin. During this mission, the Tuskegee airmen encountered the German fighter pilots again, they successfully defended the Bombers, but unfortunately Lieutenant Little died in the battle. The Airmen were later honored for their accomplishments and were awarded with a Presidential Medal.
This movie was a very prominent event because it acknowledged the courage and bravery of the Tuskegee Airmen. Many people were unaware of the challenges that these men faced, not only fighting in a war, but also dealing with the challenges of adapting to life in Italy away from their families in the United States, as well as combating racism and discrimination within the United States’ Military. In this class we’ve read multiple texts that detail how difficult adapting to a new culture and life in a different country can be and I believe that this movie does a great job of highlighting this issue. Furthermore, the release of this film was also significant because it showed how difficult it was and still is for Black Americans to get respected, due to the fact that the story of the Tuskegee Airmen was not told until nearly 70 years after the conclusion of World War II.
