Sheila L. Chamberlain

Last updated
Sheila L. Chamberlain
Alma mater Spelman College
University of Oklahoma
University of Miami
Employer United States Army

Sheila L. Chamberlain is an American pilot. She was the first black woman combat intelligence pilot in the United States Army and the first woman to be elected to the national Tuskegee Airmen. She is a member of the United States Air Force Hall of Fame.

Contents

Early life and education

Chamberlain grew up in West Germany. She attended Fort Knox High School. [1] Her father was a United States Army engineer and her mother owned a business. [2] Her cousin was Captain Luke Weathers, the only person from Memphis to become one of the original Tuskegee Airman. [3] [4] [5] Chamberlain studied at Spelman College. She graduated magna cum laude from Spelman College in 1981. [6] She was a postgraduate at the University of Oklahoma. [3] Chamberlain attended flight school, where she was mentored by Willa Brown. [2] She was the fifth African-American woman to graduate from the United States Army flight school. [5] [7]

Career

In 1985, Chamberlain was made the United States Army first black woman combat intelligence pilot. [6] [8] Chamberlain spent fifteen years of service in the United States and overseas. [2] [9] She completed three tours in Grenada, Korea and Persian Gulf War. [9] She held two command posts. [3] Chamberlain was part of the unit that stabilised South Florida after Hurricane Andrew in 1992. [3] She was the first woman to be elected to the Tuskegee Airmen in 1998. [2] Chamberlain was a member of the Fort Rucker section of the Tuskegee Airmen. After Hurricane Andrew, Chamberlain decided to retire from the air force and returned to higher education. [10] [11] She earned a Juris Doctor at the University of Miami School of Law in 1996. [6] [12] After graduating, she worked as a senate legislative assistant. She ran as a democratic candidate for state senator. [13] [14]

She gave testimony to the United States House of Representatives on why women should be assigned to aviation units. [3] A year after she left, the United States Department of Defense announced that women would be permitted to fly combat aircraft. [3] She was part of the Women Veterans Organisation. [15]

Awards and honours

Chamberlain has won various awards and honours, including the Tuskegee Airmen Blades Award, the National Defense Service Medal and the General George C. Marshall Award. [10] In 2016 she was named as one of Legacy South Florida Magazine's top 25 most influential and prominent black women in business and industry. [10] [16] [17] She was honoured as an exceptional alumna of Spelman College in 2018. [2]

Related Research Articles

The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks, and other support personnel.

Charles W. Dryden

Charles Walter "A-Train" Dryden was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and one of the original combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron,a component of the Tuskegee Airmen. Among the United States' first eight African American combat fighter pilots, Dryden is notable as a member of the Tuskegee Advance Flying School (TAFS)'s Class Number SE-42-C, the program's 2nd-ever aviation cadet program.

Lee Archer (pilot)

Lee Andrew Archer, Jr. was an African-American fighter pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group, commonly known as the Tuskegee Airmen, during World War II. He was one of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force, eventually earning the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Benjamin O. Davis Jr. World War II pilot & first African-American US Air Force brigadier general (1912–2002)

Benjamin Oliver Davis Jr. was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airmen.

Spann Watson

Spann Watson was an American military aviator and civil servant who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He flew over 30 missions in North Africa, Italy and Southern Europe. On March 2007, Watson attended a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, where he and other surviving veterans of the Tuskegee Airmen were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service. He died on April 15, 2010, aged 93.

Willa Brown American aviator, educator, activist

Willa Beatrice Brown was an American aviator, lobbyist, teacher, and civil rights activist. She was the first African American woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States, the first African American woman to run for the United States Congress, first African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol, and first woman in the U.S. to have both a pilot's license and an aircraft mechanic's license.

Noel F. Parrish United States Air Force general

Noel Francis Parrish was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force who was the white commander of a group of black airmen known as the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He was a key factor in the program's success and in their units being assigned to combat duty. Parrish was born and raised in the south-east United States; he joined the U.S. Army in 1930. He served in the military from 1930 until 1964, and retired as a brigadier general in 1964.

Kimberly Anyadike Youngest African American woman to fly across the United States

Kimberly Anyadike is an American pilot from Compton, California. In 2009, at the age of 15, she became the youngest African American woman to complete a transcontinental flight across the United States, from Los Angeles, California to Newport News, Virginia. Anyadike was accompanied by an adult safety pilot, and by a retired Air Force pilot who had served with the WWII Tuskegee Airmen. Her plane was autographed by about 50 Tuskegee airmen as she stopped at different cities across the US, and she completed the round-trip journey in a single-engine Cessna 172 in 13 days.

Herbert Carter (pilot)

Herbert Eugene Carter was an American military officer of the United States Air Force. He was a member of the original thirty-three members of the Tuskegee Airmen. He flew 77 missions with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.

Clarence D. Lester

Clarence D. “Lucky” Lester was an American fighter pilot who served in the 332nd Fighter Group, commonly known as the Tuskegee Airmen, during World War II. He was one of the first African-American military aviators in the United States Army Air Corps, the United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force.

George Hardy (Tuskegee Airman) Tuskegee Airmen

George Hardy is an American retired pilot and military officer. In World War II Hardy served with the Tuskegee Airmen and flew 21 combat missions. In the Korean War he flew 45 combat mission as the pilot of a bomber. In the Vietnam War Hardy flew 70 combat missions piloting an AC-119K gunship.

Robert Friend (pilot) Tuskegee airman and leader of Project Blue Book

Robert Jones Friend was an American military officer and pilot who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II and led the USAF's Project Blue Book from 1958 to 1963. He also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He had a 28-year military career.

Mildred Hemmons Carter American aviator

Mildred Louise Hemmons Carter (1921-2011) was one of the first women to earn a pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot Training Program, making her the first black female pilot in Alabama. Though she was denied admission into the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots, she was declared an official member of both later in life.

Joseph D. Elsberry (April 25, 1921 – March 31, 1985) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and a prolific African-American World War II fighter pilot in the 332nd Fighter Group's 301st Fighter Squadron, best known as the famed Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwartze Vogelmenschen” among enemy German pilots. Elsberry destroyed three enemy aircraft over France in a single mission on July 12, 1944, and a fourth aircraft in July 20, 1944, becoming the first African American fighter pilot in history to do so. He is only one of four Tuskegee Airmen to have earned three aerial victories in a single day of combat: Clarence Lester, Lee Archer (pilot), and Harry Stewart.

James H. Harvey III is a retired United States Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force (USAF) officer and former African-American fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or among enemy German pilots, Schwartze Vogelmenschen. He is one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.

Alva Temple Tuskegee airman Fighter Pilot

LTC Alva Newte Temple was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Forces and combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron and 300th Squadron, best known as the all-African American Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or among enemy German pilots, “Schwartze Vogelmenschen”. He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.

Mac Ross Tuskegee Airmen pilot

Mac Ross 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 for the 332nd Fighter Group.

Willie H. Fuller American soldier in the Tuskegee Airmen

Willie Howell Fuller was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer, combat fighter pilot, and combat flight instructor with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". He was the first black flight instructor for the single engine planes at Tuskegee. He was the only black flight instructor until December 1944. He was one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots. He flew 76 combat missions.

Robert William Deiz was a U.S. Army Air Force/U.S. Air Force officer, prominent combat fighter pilot, and Flight A leader with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.

Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was a U.S. Army Air Force officer, historic African American air traffic controller and prolific World War II combat fighter pilot with the prodigious 332nd Fighter Group's 302nd Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or "Schwartze Vogelmenschen" among enemy German pilots. Weathers earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for defending and escorting a damaged U.S. Army Air Corps B-24 Liberator bomber against eight Messerschmitt 109s on November 16, 1944, shooting down two Me-109s.

References

  1. ↑ "Sheila L. Chamberlain". www.obap.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Three Spelman Alumnae Honored As Aviation, Aeronautics Trailblazers". www.spelman.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SOS | ABOUT". sisters2. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  4. ↑ Willingham, Steve Pike, Justin. "Luke Weathers". www.wknofm.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  5. 1 2 "First Female African-American Army Combat Intelligence Pilot Instills Fighting Spirit". 2018-02-08. Archived from the original on 2018-11-18. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  6. 1 2 3 "Aviation pioneers honored for achieving their dreams". miamiherald. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  7. ↑ "The history of black women in flight" (PDF). The Atlanta Voice. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  8. ↑ Staff Report (2018-02-16). "Black veterans to discuss World War I". South Florida Times. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  9. 1 2 Chamberlain, Sheila L.; Dunsmore, William; Tony Miller, Sheila L. Chamberlain Collection, Sally Fine, VA Medical Center, Prescott, Arizona, archived from the original on 2022-05-11, retrieved 2019-02-10
  10. 1 2 3 "Class Notes | University of Miami School of Law". www.law.miami.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  11. ↑ "Wasserman Schultz Honors Women's History Month". Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz : Biography. 2017-03-10. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  12. ↑ "Miami magazine: Class Notes". www6.miami.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-03-30. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  13. ↑ "2000 Announced Candidates - - Monroe County, FL". www.keys-elections.org. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  14. ↑ "Miami-Dade Elections". www.miamidade.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  15. ↑ "Congressional Record". www.congress.gov. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  16. ↑ Chamber, Miami Beach (2018-01-12). "Legacy celebrates the 2017 class of the 25 Most Influential and Prominent Black Women in Business and Industry of 2017". Miami's Community News. Archived from the original on 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  17. ↑ "The Social Whirl". The Miami Times. Archived from the original on 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
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