From the Bahamas to Jamaica and beyond, WWII service members from the Islands helped shape legacy of famed Red Tails
The story of the Tuskegee Airmen is often told as a triumph of African American perseverance and skill in the face of adversity during World War II. An under-told story, however, is the account of numerous Tuskegee Airmen with Caribbean roots. As we celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month this June, we are highlighting some of their stories, which helped shape the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.
BAHAMAS
Herven Exum
Exum was the fifth of 10 children born to John E. and Cora Artis Exum at the family homestead near Eureka, North Carolina, where his ancestors had lived off the land as farmers since the late 1800s. Exum’s great-grandfather was an immigrant from the Bahamas whose wife was Cherokee. Growing up in rural North Carolina, Exum spent his youth working tobacco and cotton fields, sharing a bed with four brothers and dreaming of flying. Despite the limitations imposed by segregation, he pursued his aviation ambitions and became one of nearly 1,000 African American men trained as pilots through the historic Tuskegee program during World War II. Graduating as a flight officer in October 1944, Exum piloted fighter aircraft with 2,500-horsepower engines, serving his country during a time when racial discrimination barred most Black Americans from military aviation roles. His family said Exum later flew Air Force jets on combat missions in the Korean War. In the late 1950s, he performed in air shows as H.P. “Hot Pilot” Exum. During Vietnam, Exum flew injured troops to hospitals in Japan and Guam as a contractor. When he later moved to Washington, D.C., Exum drove cabs and worked as an air traffic controller. For a time, he worked as a commercial airline pilot in Canada. Exum died in August 2013 at age 91, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire future aviators, including his great-nephew and military aviator Coast Guard Lt. Tyler Exum. Exum was buried at Quantico National Cemetery wearing a red blazer in honor of his Tuskegee Airmen history.
1st Lt. Roger Bertram Gaiter
Gaiter exemplified the American dream's possibilities amid wartime adversity. Born June 6, 1922, Gaiter's parents, Wilfred and Ernestine, emigrated from the Bahamas in 1911, establishing themselves in a predominantly white community where they raised 10 children through sheer determination. Seven of the Gaiter children graduated from college, with one earning a master's degree and seven becoming teachers. Gaiter followed this family tradition of excellence, graduating high school in 1939 and earning his bachelor's degree from Glassboro State College before joining the legendary 332nd Fighter Group. On Nov. 19, 1944, during a strafing mission in Hungary and Austria, Gaiter's P-51 Mustang was struck by anti-aircraft fire and shot down. He evaded capture for four days before being taken prisoner and held at Stalag VIIA. Gaiter survived the war and lived until Nov. 5, 2006.
Dr. Fenton B. Sands Sr.
Born in Harlem, New York, in 1918 to Bahamian immigrants, Sands grew up steps from Colonial Park, where his fascination with nature took root. A graduate of Cornell University — where he became the first Black member of the elite Telluride House — Sands earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1942. That same year, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and trained at Tuskegee, becoming a navigator-bombardier with the 477th Bombardment Group. Though World War II ended before deployment, Sands made history as part of the Army’s first class of Black navigation cadets. After the war, he and his wife helped revitalize Liberia’s Cuttington College. Sands later earned a Ph.D. in agriculture from Cornell and led agricultural missions in 24 countries through USAID, the Ford Foundation and the World Bank. Sands retired in 1982 and passed away in 1998 after inspiring three generations of global public servants. His Air Corps wings and navigation tools now reside at the Smithsonian Museum, honoring his indelible mark on aviation and international development. His son, Dr. Fenton B. Sands Jr., is a member of the East Coast Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
BARBADOS
Colonel Fitzroy "Buck" Newsum
Newsum served his country for nearly three decades, and traced his aviation dreams to his Caribbean childhood. Born May 22, 1918, in Manhattan, Newsum's Caribbean heritage ran deep through both sides of his family. At age 1, he moved to the island of Barbados, where he was raised by his grandparents. His parents had emigrated from Barbados in 1917, maintaining strong cultural ties to their homeland. When he was 10, he saw his first aircraft in Trinidad. This formative Caribbean experience, spanning both Barbados and Trinidad, shaped his character and instilled the resilience that would define his groundbreaking military career. Newsum enlisted during World War II and graduated from the Tuskegee Army Air Field program in 1943 as a first lieutenant. He served across multiple theaters during World War II and continued his military career through the Cold War era, stationed at bases from Alabama to Hawaii, Germany to Kansas. Newsum’s service culminated as vice commander of the 381st Strategic Missile Wing at McConnell Air Force Base before retiring as a colonel in 1970. After his military career, Newsum transitioned to civilian life as a public relations manager at Martin Marietta Aerospace in Denver. Newsum died Jan. 5, 2013, at age 94, leaving behind a legacy that bridged his Caribbean heritage with American military excellence.
BRITISH WEST INDIES
2nd Lt. Joseph Evans Gordon
Very little has been recorded about Gordon’s military career. His father, Ernest Gordon, was born in 1886 in the British West Indies. He married Josephine Redman in 1922. Gordon was born in Montreal, Canada, and his family later moved to Brooklyn, New York. Gordon graduated from flight training on Feb. 8, 1944, at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. He soon deployed to Italy with the 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group. On Aug. 12, after escorting bombers to Toulon, France, to destroy radar stations, fighters from the 332nd Fighter Group began to draw ground fire. P-51 Mustangs flown by Gordon and 1st Lt. Langdon E. Johnson were hit by anti-aircraft fire; both pilots were killed. Gordon is buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France. According to a government database, he was awarded a Purple Heart.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
2nd Lt. Esteban Hotesse
Hotesse was born on Feb. 11, 1919, in the town of Moca, Dominican Republic. He moved to New York with his mother and sister when he was 4 years old. Hotesse would become the only Dominican-born member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and one of the few people born in a Spanish-speaking nation to serve the United States during World War II. He attained the rank of second lieutenant in the 619th Bombardment Squadron of the 477th Bombardment Group. Hotesse was among 101 Tuskegee Airmen officers arrested on April 11, 1945, for refusing to obey the Jim Crow system. His arrest took place after a series of incidents involving Black officers challenging de facto segregation by entering clubs reserved for White officers only and demanding service at the Freeman Army Airfield, a U.S. Army Air Forces base near Seymour, Indiana. In an attempt to enforce segregation, the base's White commanding officer, Col. Robert B. Selway, issued an order that classified all black officers as "trainees," which barred them from entering any facilities for white officers and directed all officers to sign a statement verifying that they read, understood and accepted the order. Hotesse, along with another 100 officers, were arrested for refusing to sign the statement. Tragically, Hotesse died at age 26 on July 8, 1945, during a military exercise when his B-25J Mitchell bomber crashed in the Ohio River between Indiana and Kentucky. For decades, his story remained largely unknown, with only a brief Spanish-language obituary in the Dominican Republic identifying him simply as an aviator.
HAITI
Ludovic Audant, Raymond Cassagnol, Philippe Célestin, Eberle Guilbaud, Alix Pasquet and Nicolas Pelissier
Haiti’s involvement with the Tuskegee Airmen began through a direct partnership with the U.S. government, which sought Haitian pilots to patrol the Caribbean against German submarines. Six Haitian military officers broke racial and national barriers from 1943 to 1944 by training at the segregated Tuskegee Army Air Field during World War II. The first trio — Raymond Cassagnol, Alix Pasquet, and Philippe Célestin — departed Port-au-Prince in February 1943, enduring Jim Crow segregation on their journey through Puerto Rico, Miami, and Jacksonville to Alabama. After Cassagnol's graduation, three additional Haitian pilots joined the program: Sgt./Lt. Ludovic Audant, Sgt./Lt. Nicolas Pelissier, and Eberle Guilbaud. Pasquet (1919-1958) embodied the complex legacy of these Airmen — serving as both war hero and revolutionary, ultimately dying while leading a coup attempt against François Duvalier. Cassagnol, born Sept. 20, 1920, remains the last surviving Haitian Tuskegee Airman at over 100 years old. Guilbaud graduated in April 1944 at age 25. Their service challenged both American segregation and expanded Haiti's military aviation capabilities during a pivotal moment in world history.
JAMAICA
Alton A. Burton
Burton, a distinguished Tuskegee Airman whose Jamaican roots shaped his journey to becoming one of America's most influential civil engineers, was born Nov. 25, 1925, in Washington Heights, Manhattan. The son of Jamaican immigrants, his Caribbean heritage instilled values that would guide him through decades of groundbreaking work in aviation and engineering. Burton entered military service during World War II as a U.S. Air Force second lieutenant, serving with distinction as a bombardier, navigator and pilot with the Tuskegee Airmen. His exemplary wartime service earned him three military awards and a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007. After his military service, Burton pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in civil engineering from New York University. He became a licensed professional engineer in New York State, joining the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as its sole Black engineer at the time. Burton's most significant professional achievement came in 1962 when Governor Nelson Rockefeller appointed him chief civil engineer for the World Trade Center project. His engineering expertise and vision in designing the towers' fortified infrastructure proved crucial on Sept. 11, 2001, when his structural preparations provided precious evacuation time that helped save thousands of lives. Burton passed away on Nov. 1, 2018, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of service and achievement.
Dr. Cyril O. Byron Sr.
Born April 15, 1920, in New York City to Jamaican immigrant parents, Byron embodied the American dream through service and scholarship. The son of a chef and caterer, he was raised in the Bronx and graduated from Morris High School in 1939 as a multisport athlete. While studying at Morgan State College, where he excelled as a football quarterback and in basketball and track, Byron was drafted into military service during World War II. Byron served with the 99th Pursuit Squadron, later renamed the 99th Fighter Squadron, in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was initially assigned as a crewman maintaining airplanes, particularly the .50-caliber machine guns. Byron’s unit joined the 15th Air Force in Casablanca, Morrocco, and later transferred to the 8th Air Force. After participating in the North African campaign, the unit landed in Sicily for the invasion of Salerno. In Ramitelli, Italy, the 99th Fighter Squadron joined the 332nd Fighter Group. Because he knew how to type, Byron was assigned to administrative duties at headquarters, a job he held until being discharged in 1945 with the rank of sergeant major. After the war, Byron built a distinguished academic career, eventually serving as Dean of Education at Coppin State University in Baltimore before transitioning to the Community College of Baltimore in 1976. His dual legacy as both military pioneer and educational leader reflected his lifelong commitment to breaking barriers and serving others. Byron died Oct. 20, 2015, at age 95.
2nd Lt. Robert W. Deiz
Deiz was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1919 to William Carlos Deiz, a Jamaican immigrant, and Elnora Noni Deiz. He graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School in 1942 and served as a fighter pilot with the 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group. Over the course of World War II, he flew 93 combat missions and notably shot down two German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft in January 1944. After the war, Deiz broke new ground as a test pilot, becoming one of the first to fly jet aircraft, and later attended the Army Command and General Staff School. He retired as a major from the U.S. Air Force in 1961, then worked in electronics and served as a parole officer and supervisor for nearly two decades. Deiz’s legacy extends beyond his military achievements — he was the model for the iconic 1943 “Keep Us Flying!” World War II War Bonds poster, which became a symbol of African American patriotism and service during the war.
Lt. Irma Cameron Dryden
Dryden, born May 28, 1920, in New York City to Jamaican immigrant parents, carved her place in military history as one of the few nurses who served the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. Her Jamaican father worked as a dental technician, while her mother was a schoolteacher, representing the professional aspirations of many Caribbean families who sought opportunities in America. Originally desiring to become a physician, Dryden pivoted to nursing after encountering barriers to medical school admission. She graduated from Harlem Hospital School of Nursing in 1942 before stepping off a train at Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1943 to serve the World War II Airmen who were challenging racial segregation in the military. At Tuskegee, her professional life intersected with romance when she met and married Charles "A-Train" Dryden on Nov. 16, 1943, in what was reportedly the first military wedding at the base. Charles Dryden, also of Jamaican heritage, was a combat fighter pilot with the 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, earning his "A-Train" nickname from his P-40 aircraft and later documenting their romance in his autobiography "A-Train: Story of a Tuskegee Airman." Dryden left military service in 1944 and in 2014 received the Congressional Gold Medal for her service. She died Sept. 17, 2020, at age 100.
Ivan James McRae Jr.
McRae was born on Aug. 19, 1923, in Harlem, New York, to parents who emigrated from Jamaica in 1916. After graduating from high school in Yonkers, New York, McCrae enlisted in the Army’s Aviation Cadet Program. In 1943, he was selected for a first-ever program to train Black men as combat pilots at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama. He earned his wings as a Twin-Engine Bomber Pilot with the famed Tuskegee Airmen and was attached to the 477th Bombardment Group commanded by Benjamin O. Davis Jr. For most of his life, McRae rarely spoke of his 1945 involvement in a standoff that helped end segregation in the U.S. military. A White commander at Freeman Army Airfield, Indiana, ordered McRae and other Black officers not to enter the post’s Whites-Only Officers Club and to use the All-Black club dubbed “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” instead. McRae found himself at a critical moment of history. What later became known as the Freeman Field Mutiny was a series of peaceful demonstrations in April 1945 by Black Army officers who had been transferred to the Midwest airfield after racial altercations at airfields in Michigan and throughout the South. In all, 101 Black officers were arrested for entering the Whites-only Officers Club, or for refusing to formally accept the legitimacy of the Club’s Whites-Only designation, according to a 1997 Air Force document. The standoff persuaded the War Department to side with the protesters, and for the first time, to place Black Officers in command of the All-Black 477th Bombardment Group. Three years later, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which ordered the end of racial segregation in the U.S. military. Although he was in training for missions against Japan, the war’s end spared him from combat. After McRae’s discharge as a second lieutenant, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Columbia University in 1948 and got married. He and his wife settled in Long Island, where McRae worked for Bulova, Litton Industries and various defense-industry companies. McRae died Nov. 29, 2016.
Victor “Vic” Llewellyn Ransom
Ransom, a Tuskegee Airman of Jamaican heritage, was born in New York City into a family defined by intellect, excellence and trailblazing firsts. His lineage included the first Black judge in Brooklyn, a mother and aunt who were graduates of Howard and Columbia in the 1930s, and an aunt who co-founded Alpha Kappa Alpha, one of the nation’s oldest and largest Black sororities. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School, Ransom enrolled at MIT to study electrical engineering. World War II interrupted his studies, and in 1943 he joined the 477th Bombardment Group of the Tuskegee Airmen. Though denied deployment overseas due to racism, Ransom made history on U.S. soil as a participant in the Freeman Field Mutiny — a pivotal 1945 protest against segregation in the U.S. military. After the war, he earned a master’s in engineering at MIT and led a 50-year career at Bell Labs as Department Head, while teaching at NJIT. He and his wife, an elementary school teacher, raised their daughter — an esteemed Harvard and MIT-educated urban planner, professor, and international development consultant. Ransom died in 2020 at age 96, leaving a legacy of service, scholarship and civil rights.
Lt. Victor Terrelonge
Born in Morant Bay, Jamaica, in 1923, Terrelonge was a founding member of the Tuskegee Airmen’s 332nd Fighter Group. He immigrated to the United States at age 15 and pursued his passion for aviation, graduating from Aviation High School in Queens, New York, in 1942 before earning a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from City College of New York. His family's connection to public service ran deep — his mother, Florence McQueen Terrelonge-Stewart, broke barriers as the first Black nurse employed at Harlem Hospital. After his military service, he embarked on a 37-year career with the New York City Transit System, rising from trolley driver to safety administrator. Terrelonge's legacy extended beyond his wartime service. He co-founded the Claude B. Govan Tri State Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., providing scholarships to hundreds of students and frequently speaking at schools to preserve the Airmen's historical legacy. He died in 2011 at age 88, having received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 alongside his fellow Tuskegee Airmen. Terrelonge was posthumously honored in New York, where a street bears his name in tribute to his achievements.
Lt. Col. Charles W. “A-Train” Dryden
Dryden emerged as one of America's most distinguished Tuskegee Airmen, earning his nickname "A-Train" while serving as a groundbreaking African American military pilot during World War II. Born Sept. 16, 1920, in New York City to Jamaican immigrant educators, Dryden defied racial barriers to pursue his aviation dreams. Dryden recalls in his book, “A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman,” how at 2 years of age, he would call out, “Air’pwane! Airpwane! and tearing paper into bits and throwing them into the air to tell the world he wanted to fly airplanes.” After many setbacks and tribulations, he did fly airplanes, living out his dream. After graduating from Peter Stuyvesant High School, Dryden entered aviation cadet training at Tuskegee Army Flying School in Alabama in August 1941. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on April 29, 1942, becoming one of the first African American military pilots to engage in aerial combat. As a member of the elite 99th Fighter Squadron, Dryden flew dangerous missions overseas while confronting racial prejudice both in the military and at home. After the war, Dryden earned degrees from Hofstra University and Columbia University, later becoming a professor. His autobiography chronicles his extraordinary journey from a "crazy black kid who wanted to fly" to a celebrated military aviator who helped pave the way for integration in American aviation.
PUERTO RICO
Eugene Calderon and Pablo Diaz Albortt
According to research from the Air Force and Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.’s historian, in 1944, Puerto Rican aviators went to the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama to train the famed 99th Fighter Squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen. By the end of World War II, Puerto Ricans had served in various capacities within the Tuskegee program, including noncommissioned officers in charge of special service offices and as aviation students.
Tech. Sgt. Pablo Diaz Albortt and Eugene Calderon were part of the Tuskegee program and experienced the complexities of segregation.
CAF Rise Above, an educational outreach program focused on the history and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), documents Albortt as a noncommissioned officer in charge of the Special Service Office and Calderon as an aviation student with Class 441, who was subsequently eliminated from the program.
Albortt’s promotion to technical sergeant is listed in the August 1943 edition of Hawk’s Cry, a weekly newsletter published by Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama.
According to CAF Rise Above, When Diaz and Calderon arrived for duty, they found “themselves in a peculiar situation because of Alabama's stringent segregation laws at the time. Because they were Hispanic, they were considered a 'third' color and forced to live on their own, separated from other races. Experiences like this were an important reason for the eventual desegregation of the armed services in 1948, but were too late for the service men and women who endured uncomfortable racial divides during the war.”
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Herbert H. Heywood and Henry E. Rohlsen
Among the legendary Tuskegee Airmen who broke racial barriers in military aviation, two sons of the U.S. Virgin Islands distinguished themselves as pioneering black fighter pilots during World War II. Herbert H. Heywood of St. Croix graduated from the Tuskegee program on March 12, 1944, earning the rank of second lieutenant. Heywood was just 19 when he enlisted in 1944, joining the ranks of the 332nd Fighter Group that would earn fame as the "Red Tails." Henry E. Rohlsen, born Oct. 6, 1916, on St. John, also graduated on March 12, 1944, as a second lieutenant and served with the 99th Squadron. As part of the 332nd Fighter Group, he flew combat missions across the European theater. Rohlsen's legacy lives on through St. Croix's Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, renamed in his honor in 1996. The facility, formerly Alexander Hamilton International Airport, serves as a lasting tribute to his service and sacrifice. Both Airmen's contributions continue through the Virgin Islands Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. (VICTAI), founded by Heywood's daughters to preserve their fathers' legacy and inspire local youth to pursue aviation careers.
PANAMA/TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Wilfred R. DeFour
DeFour was born on Oct. 13, 1918, in Colón, Panama, to Trinidadian parents. His family emigrated to Harlem, New York, when he was a child. Drafted into the segregated U.S. Army in 1942, DeFour was assigned to the 366th Air Service Squadron and 96th Air Service Group at Tuskegee Army Airfield. After completing administration training at Atlanta University, he was promoted to staff sergeant and deployed to Italy in 1944. Working at Ramitelli Airfield in Italy, DeFour was credited with initiating the decision to paint aircraft tails red, earning the unit its famous "Red Tails" nickname. This innovation became symbolic of the Tuskegee Airmen's legacy and inspired the 2012 film "Red Tails." After his military service, DeFour earned a business degree and operated a real estate company while working for the Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Postal Service. He retired in 1982 as superintendent of special delivery and parcel post, capping a century of service to the U.S. He died at age 100 on Dec. 8, 2018, at his home in Harlem.
While not an exhaustive list, these Tuskegee Airmen of Caribbean heritage illustrate the diverse backgrounds of the famed World War II service members.
SOURCES: Boricuastemstories; CAFRiseabove.org; Jamaicans.com; news.miami-airport.com; Stthomassource.com; www.nps.gov; www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk; sayvillealumni.org; Washington Post; blackhistory.mit.edu; St. Louis Daily Dispatch; https://65thcgm.weebly.com/more-history.html; U.S. Air Force.
