Howard Lee Baugh (January 20, 1920 – August 23, 2008) was an American military aviator who served with the

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 ...

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 ...

.Jeremy Slayton (Aug 26, 2008)
"Tuskegee Airman Howard Lee Baugh is dead at 88,"
''Richmond Times-Dispatch''.

Biography

Howard Baugh was born and raised in Petersburg, Virginia, where he graduated from Virginia State College in 1941.John Adam (Nov. 10, 2018)
Statue of Lt. Col. Howard L. Baugh unveiled at Black History Museum
''Mineral Daily News-Tribune''. Baugh enlisted in the U.S. Army as an aviation cadet of the U.S. Army Air Corps in March 1942. He was accepted into a newly formed group, later known as the

, an all-black unit at

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...

in Alabama. He was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in November 1942. In the group, 996 were pilots, and 450 of them were sent into combat. He flew 136 combat missions for 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 ...

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 ...

Sicily, Italy (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

during World War.Michael Paul Williams (Nov. 10, 2018)
"Statue honoring Tuskegee Airmen unveiled at Black History Museum
''Richmond Times-Dispatch''. The group was nicknamed the "Red Tails" or " Red Tail Squadron" for the red-feather markings painted on the tails of their aircraft. After World War II, Baugh continued to serve in the military as a flight instructor, commander, and director of logistics. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1967. Military honors accorded Baugh include: * The Distinguished Flying Cross * The Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters * The Air Force Medal * The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award * Burial in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Civilian recognition includes: * The Howard Baugh Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (2003) * The French Legion of Honor (2004, awarded by the French Defense Minister) * Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame Members (2006). * The Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen (2007, presented by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

). A life-size statue of Baugh, sculpted by

Antonio Tobias Mendez Antonio Tobias Mendez (born 1963) is an American sculptor. Works Mendez has produced over twenty public monuments: his sculptures include Thurgood Marshall, Don Shula, Mohandas Gandhi, Major Taylor, and part of the United States Navy Memorial. ...

, was unveiled in November 2018 at the

Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia The Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) is an American 501(c)(3) organization and museum established in 1981 and focused on the history of Black and African Americans in the state of Virginia. It is located in the Leigh ...

in Richmond, Virginia (at the former First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory). It is the first monument in Virginia, and the eighth monument in the U.S., honoring a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Plans for the monument include permanently locating it to Petersburg. Baugh was the widower of the former Constance Layne. He was survived by, among others, his sons—David P. Baugh of Richmond, Virginia,Frank Green (Sep 26, 2012)
"Capital defender Baugh resigns,"
''Richmond Times-Dispatch''. Howard Layne Baugh of Norfolk, and Richard Baugh of Crownsville, Maryland —and two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.

Notes

External links

Howard Baugh Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

Airmen, Inc. official website

Howard L. Baugh - CAF Red Tail Squadron

Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame Members, Howard L. Baugh

Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Richmond, VA & link to its address
at the former First Battalion Virginia Volunteers Armory {{DEFAULTSORT:Baugh, Howard 1920 births 2008 deaths People from Petersburg, Virginia Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Virginia State University alumni United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Army Air Forces officers Tuskegee Airmen Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Air Force Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Aviators from Virginia 21st-century African-American people

Biography

See also

Notes

External links