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Surviving Member Of The Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, Shares His Stories On Community Connect

July 2, 2020 / 12:58 PM EDT / CW50 Detroit

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Southfield (CW50) - The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American pilots during WWII. They were made up of the 332nd Fighter Group and 447th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces. A popular nickname for the fighter group was the Red Tails.

Tuskegee Airmen attending a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy Photo provided by The Detroit Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, 98, was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen after going the military in 1942. In 1944, Jefferson was shot down and captured in the south of France. He was sent to a camp as a prisoner of war until mid-1945.

Tuskegee Airman (Photo provided by The Detroit Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

Lt. Col. Jefferson joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect to talk about his time as a Tuskegee Airmen, as well as his time as a POW during WWII.

Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson, Surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen

Watch COMMUNITY CONNECT, Saturday at 8:30am on CW50