DaytonDailyNews.com

DAYTON — The message that Tuskegee Airman Leslie Edwards pushed was clear: "If you train them they will perform." The "they" is anyone, regardless of race or gender.

It was stressed repeatedly to the approximately 75 people who turned out at the Engineers Club of Dayton to see and listen to him.

Edwards credited the 1995 movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" for bringing attention to the airmen and their accomplishments, despite the segregation and overt racism they faced.

Frank Coleman, 34, of Dayton was among those who didn't know much about the airmen until seeing the movie. He came to Edwards' talk because it was an opportunity to see a living legend. "It's something people need to know about," he said. Coleman called Edwards "inspirational" and marvelled at what he and the airmen were able to overcome and accomplish.

Edwards was part of the Tuskegee Experience, which included people assigned to a unit at Tuskegee Air Field. He served from 1941-1949.

Edwards, despite not having more than a fifth-grade education, became a WWII flight chief at the age of 19. The Cincinnatian said his and other inner-city school systems didn't train children well for the future. "They trained me to be a dishwasher or a janitor," he said.

Nowadays, in addition to sharing his story about the Tuskegee Airmen, Edwards also talks to students about the importance of reading, writing and overall good communication skills. "You're always going to need those," he said.

It wasn't until he joined the military that he realized the extent of own his abilities. Edwards eventually was sent to Freeman Field in Indiana. The field, he said, was big. "Texas big." He was taken into the hangar and told this is where he fit in — "this is what you're going to do."

"The guys I was with made me know I can do this. It was those guys who made me," Edwards said. He said after classes they would stay up late into the night studying. "When you're young you can have two hours sleep and you can go and do it again," said the spry, 84-year-old. "Now two days isn't enough for me."

Freeman Field was a life-changing learning ground for Edwards and the others. It would also be the site of the infamous Freeman Field Mutiny in 1945, resulting in the arrest of 162 black Army Air Corps officers. The commander of that group had classified all the blacks as trainees, despite the fact they'd graduated from flight school. As trainees, they were not permitted to use the staff officers club. When they protested and tried to enter, they were arrested. The mutiny would be considered by many to be the first step toward full integration of the armed forces.

Charges on all but three of the officers were eventually dropped after public attention. Two of those were later acquitted. One was convicted, fined $150 and dishonorably discharged. Nearly half a century later, the Air Force set aside the reprimands.

And decades after that, Edwards and other Tuskegee Airmen were invited to the inauguration of President Barak Obama. He initially declined, saying he didn't want to leave his wife of 65 years because she's diabetic and he cares for her. Some prodding persuaded Edwards to make the trip, and his son-in-law, who he calls his "driver," made sure he got there.

"A lot of the others were in wheelchairs — I was one of the few who can move around," he said. "I was supposed to be looking at the inauguration, but I was looking at all the military people there. The diversity of the military ... it boggled your mind. Some of the short, black women were majors."

Decades ago all he saw and knew on military bases was segregation. Now, he said, "there ain't no bunching up."

After leaving the military, Edwards earned his high school diploma and then a college degree. He worked as food and meat inspector and later as a supervisor of meat inspection for the state of Ohio. "We didn't have problems with bad food in the Cincinnati area," he quipped.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2374 or anwatson@Dayton

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