On Veterans Day, We Remember the Contributions of WV’s Tuskegee Airman George “Spanky” Roberts
From e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online, a project of the WV Humanities Council
George “Spanky” Roberts was the first Black military pilot from West Virginia and a member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen in World War II. Born in London, Kanawha County, he graduated from Dunbar High School and West Virginia State College (now University).
Roberts earned his pilot’s license through a training program and joined the first class of Tuskegee Airmen. He became a 2nd lieutenant in 1942 and flew over 100 combat missions in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
After the war, Roberts taught ROTC at Tuskegee Institute and served in Korea, Okinawa, and Vietnam. He retired as a colonel in 1968, having earned several medals and awards.
We’ll bring the best from BBG right to your inbox. You can easily unsubscribe at any time.
Sign Up for our Newsletters!
If you appreciate BBG's work, please support us with a contribution of whatever you can afford.
Support our stories
Related Articles
McCuskey’s subpoenas against environmental groups paused by U.S. judge
A temporary restraining order grants the organizations more time to argue their case without being required to hand over the subpoenaed documents by the original Nov. 2 deadline.