AJ stands for Andrew Jackson, our 7th president. His reputation for toughness earned him the nickname "Old Hickory." A hero of the War of 1812, Jackson has appeared on the $20 bill since 1928.

My chance to fly!

At first I felt scared because I have a fear of heights and the plane has an open cockpit. However, I realized that there was no going back, so I got into the plane.

We quickly climbed into the sky, and what a view I had! Once we were flying, I realized that it was a pretty good view of the ground and the landscape. I could see big squares of land. All of the buildings and cars looked like little play toys. The world around me seemed different…I hadn’t seen it like this before!

When I first got in the plane, I thought the ride would be really rumbly and loud from the plane engines. But once we were in the air, it was really peaceful and calming. 

My Chance to Fly

I’ve been in big airplanes before, but it is amazing to ride in a biplane with air rushing all around you.

I felt some pressure on my body being pushed into the seat from the force of takeoff.

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I overcame my fears knowing my Dad was down on the ground waiting for me. For a slight moment my mind went blank, and then I knew that if I could do this, I could do anything that I wanted to.

Have you heard of the “Red Tails” movie? Red Tails?

The reason why the Tuskegee pilots were known as "red tails" was because they painted the tails of their P-51's red.

There is a current movie called "Red Tails," created by George Lucas, who also created “Star Wars.”

The movie stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard and is about the Tuskegee Airmen and their journey to becoming the first African American aviators to fly for the U.S. military.

The movie shows how the pilots served in bombing missions over Italy and nearby countries.

The Tuskegee Airmen served as escort planes to protect the bomber planes carrying explosives that were dropped on their targets, usually factories and cities in Western Europe and North Africa.

Occasionally they had to engage in firefights and shoot down enemy aircraft.

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More than height

Everyone has things that make them nervous or fearful or have something that keeps them from trying new things.

The Tuskegee Airmen had much more than fear of heights to overcome. These were men who battled to be considered pilots and crewmembers worthy of fighting for and defending our country despite their skin color.

Even though I don’t know what I want to do when I grow up, I know that anything is possible.

Maybe I’ll be a pilot or a history teacher or an artist!

The one thing I do know is that I want to be a dad. I can help my kids work through their fears and take them on a lot of adventures like mine.

I’m glad I had this chance to be a part of history.

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