George Richard Bolling I (August 4, 1920 – March 22, 2007) was a
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 ...
/
U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with 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
99th Fighter Squadron
The 99th Infantry Division was formed in 1942 and deployed overseas in 1944. The "Checkerboard" or "Battle Babies" division landed at the French port of Le Havre and proceeded northeast to Belgium. During the heavy fighting in the Battle of the ...
, best known as the famed
Tuskegee Airmen. He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.
Early life
Bolling was born on August 4, 1920, at the
Hampton Institute in
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
.
["Former Tuskegee Airman Returns." Judith Malveaux, Daily Press. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-xpm-20000814-2000-08-14-0008140067-story.html] He was the son of Edward A. Bolling Sr. (1884–1958) and Georgia A. Bridgeforth Bolling (1885–1946) of
Lunenburg County, Virginia, who married in 1916.
Bolling had three siblings: brother Roscoe Howard Bolling (1924–d. in childbirth), sister Gladys Bolling Fletcher (1922–2007), a
Hampton Institute and
Atlanta University-trained school librarian, and brother Edward Alfonzo Bolling Jr. (1918–1997), an agriculture engineering instructor and 17-year manager of
Hampton Institute's campus farm and U.S. international agricultural advisor to the federal government.
[
Bolling attended all-black Whittier Elementary and ]Phenix High School
Phenix High School was a segregated public school for African Americans, active from 1931 to 1968. It was created by the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, as a normal school near the town of Hampton and Fort Monroe in Elizabeth City County ...
in Hampton, Virginia
Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
.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 ...
), graduating in 1940.Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...
sorority. Dolores relocated to Columbus, Ohio
Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, to live with Bolling who was stationed at Columbus Air Force Base
Columbus Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Columbus, Mississippi. The host unit at Columbus AFB is the 14th Flying Training Wing (14 FTW), which is a part of Air Education and Training Command (AETC).
The residenti ...
. While in Columbus, Dolores earned a master's degree in Biology at Ohio State University. As the U.S. Air Force reassigned Bolling, the Bollings relocated throughout the U.S and Japan. After the family relocated to San Jose, California, Dolores taught biology at Sheppard Middle School for eight years.
Bolling and Dolores had three sons: George R. "Ricky" Bolling II (Died 2009), John Raymond Bolling, and Frank Daniel Bolling (1963 – July 12, 2004).[ They also had one granddaughter, Francine M. Bolling.][
]
Military career
Bolling left Hampton Institute after being recruited into the U.S. Army Air Corps.[ On July 3, 1942, Bolling graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School's Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-F, receiving his wings and commission as a ]2nd Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. After graduation he was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron.[
During combat missions, he was shot down twice. On July 11, 1943, his aircraft was hit by an enemy ship's anti-aircraft artillery, he bailed from his plane, landing in the Mediterranean, where he was rescued by boat after a day at sea.][Tuskegee Airmen Chronology. Daniel L. Haulman. Organizational History Branch. Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, AL. 14 November 2011. "11 July 1943: The 99th Fighter Squadron drove off 12 German Fw 190 fighters attempting to attack Allied naval vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. 1st Lt. George R. Bolling was hit by antiaircraft artillery coming from some of the vessels and bailed out. He later returned to the squadron after being rescued by boat. (99th Fighter Squadron history, Mar 1941-17 Oct 1943)."]
In 1961, he retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of Major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
.[
]
Post-military career
After leaving the U.S. Air Force, Bolling joined the U.S. Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
in San Jose, California, working there for 20 years.[
]
Death
Bolling died on March 22, 2007, in San Jose, California.[ He was interred at Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.][
]
See also
* Executive Order 9981
* List of Tuskegee Airmen
List of Tuskegee Airmen contains the names of the Tuskegee Airmen, who were a group of primarily African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, me ...
* List of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes This is a chronological list of Tuskegee Airmen Cadet Pilot Graduation Classes from 1942 to 1946.
The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They forme ...
* Military history of African Americans
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling I, George R.
Tuskegee Airmen
United States Army Air Forces officers
Military personnel from Tuskegee, Alabama
African-American aviators
Military personnel from California
Military personnel from Virginia
1920 births
2007 deaths
21st-century African-American people
20th-century African-American military personnel