Ithaca’s Tuskegee Airman

On this episode, hear the story of veteran pilot Verdelle Louis Payne from Ithaca, N.Y., who joined the Army Air Forces during World War II. Payne served in the 99th Fighter Squadron, which became part of the distinguished Tuskegee Airmen, an all-Black group of pilots serving in the then still-segregated U.S. Army. Our hosts also share the stories of some of New York States’s other notable Tuskegee Airmen, including Lt. Col. Clarence Dart and Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Jr.