Charles DeBow (February 13, 1918 – April 4, 1986) was an officer in the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and combat fighter pilot and commanding officer of the

332nd Fighter Group The 332d Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, currently active. It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 and reactivated 16 November 2014. The group forms part of ...

's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the prodigious, all-

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

.Caf Rise Above
"Charles Henry DeBow, Jr."
/ref> He was one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.Indiana University-Bloomington Libraries
"Charles DeBow: an Original Tuskegee Pilot"
Indiana University Archives. November 7, 2016. In July 1941, DeBow entered aviation cadet training with the

's first class of aviation cadets, Class 42-C-SE. On March 6, 1942, DeBow graduated from aviation cadet training with Captain

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. (December 18, 1912 – July 4, 2002) was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen. He was the first African-American brigadier general in the USAF. On December 9, 1998, h ...

, future

Commander and future U.S. four-star general; 2nd Lt. George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts - September 24, 1918 - March 8, 1984), 2nd Lt.

Mac Ross Mac Ross (June 12, 1912 – July 10, 1944) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot during World War II. A member of the Tuskegee Airmen, he commanded the 100th Fighter Squadron and served as the Group Operations Officer fo ...

(1912-1944), and 2nd Lt. Lemuel R. Custis (1915–2005). Being among the first five to graduate, they "drew the most sustained attention from the press and the black community as a result." DeBow was the first

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

native and the first of fourteen individuals with an

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, address of record to graduate from the Tuskegee Advance Flying School (TAFS).Indianapolis Chapter
Tuskegee Airmen Inc.

Early life, family

DeBow was born on February 13, 1918, in

. He was the son of Charles Henry DeBow (September 17, 1891 - March 1981) of

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

, and Anna Sue Horne DeBow (December 25, 1896 - January 1980) of Tennessee.Edwards-Moore Family Genealogy
"Charles Henry DeBow"
DeBow's parents moved from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

to Indianapolis before DeBow was born. After high school, DeBow enrolled at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. Though DeBow's father wanted DeBow to study medicine to ensure a good living in a segregated society, DeBow transferred to

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

to study business and to enroll in the Civil Pilot training course offered there. After working numerous jobs to save money, Debow dropped out of

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

to enlist in the U.S. Army. DeBow was married to Aurelia Jane Priscilla Stuart DeBow (1926–2017). They had several children. DeBow's son, Captain William DeBow, served as the Commander of the Port Hueneme Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. Daughter Kay DeBow was a co-founder of the

National Black Chamber of Commerce The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) was incorporated as ''The National Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.'', in 1993. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of African American com ...

(NBCC). TAFS Roster of Graduates listed DeBow's hometown address as 2043 Boulevard Place, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Military career, Tuskegee Airmen

Curtiss P-40, ¾-front view, in flight (00910460 023)

On July 19, 1941, DeBow was admitted into the

U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

Tuskegee Aviation Cadet training program's inaugural class at

Tuskegee Army Air Field Sharpe Field is a closed private use airport located northwest of the central business district of Tuskegee, a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. This airport is privately owned by the Bradbury Family Partnership. Formerly known ...

, Class 42-C-SE. On March 6, 1942, only DeBow and four other cadets graduated from the program: Captain

, 2nd Lt. Lemuel R. Custis, 2nd Lt.

, and 2nd Lt. George S. Roberts ("Spanky" Roberts). Class 42-C-SE created America's first African-American

pilots."TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY"
DANIEL L. HAULMAN. ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY BRANCH. AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY. MAXWELL AFB, AL 36112-6424. November 14, 2011. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, DeBow served as squadron commander of the 332rd fighter group's 301st Fighter Squadron. He flew 52 combat missions in

European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

including aerial coverage for

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

. During a mission, DeBow was injured and lost his flight status. DeBow left the military with the rank of

Lt. Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the army, armies, most Marine (armed services), marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use t ...

Awards

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006

Post-military career, death

After leaving the military, DeBow returned to the State of

where earned a Master's degree from alma mater

and another Master’s degree from

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

. DeBow became an English teacher at

's Thomas Carr Howe High School where he remained for 10 years. He later became an associate English lecturer at IUPUI until his death on April 4, 1986.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:DeBow, Charles H. 1918 births 1986 deaths Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces officers Military personnel from Indiana