Meritorious Service To Aviation Award Presented To Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were members of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. They were pilots, instructors, navigators and mechanics. The NBAA is presenting them with the Meritorious Service Award, the association’s highest honor, in recognition of their service to the country and their inspiration to others while facing adversity.
The Tuskegee Airmen were members of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. They were pilots, instructors, navigators and mechanics. The NBAA is presenting them with the Meritorious Service Award, the association’s highest honor, in recognition of their service to the country and their inspiration to others while facing adversity.

During World War II, from June 1943 through April 1945, they flew 1,578 missions, 15,533 sorties, destroyed 261 aircraft and earned 850 medals. They were the Tuskegee Airmen, African-Americans who were members of the U.S. Army Air Corps, championed by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt yet segregated from the rest of the troops. Trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Ala., they were pilots, instructors, navigators and mechanics. Today, the National Business Aviation Association presents its highest award–the 2012 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award–to the Tuskegee Airmen.