WWII Tuskegee Airman Robbed In St. Louis — Twice!
In two separate incidents on the same night, a 93-year-old man who has not been identified but was described as a Tuskegee Airman was robbed, and then had his car stolen while lost in the city of St. Louis, Missouri.
According to WREG, the man had stopped to make a call to his daughter, who he was on his way to visit, when a robber jumped into his car, took his money, and fled in another vehicle. The airman then proceeded to chase down the thief. After losing sight of the fleeing vehicle, he stopped to ask two men for help. When he got out of the car, they jumped in and took off. All of this took place in broad daylight at around 11:30 a.m.
The Gateway Pundit reports that St. Louis police are currently looking for the three suspects and the Tuskegee airman’s stolen 2012 Maroon Honda Accord, and is asking for help from the public. They have released a photo of a similar car and the license plate for the stolen vehicle. It had Missouri plates, number AA2K8R.
According to a Marketwatch article, St. Louis is the fourth most dangerous city in the U.S. Earlier in the year, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, a string of auto thefts led to a violent confrontation, where one man was killed by police after he attempted to run them over. Seven stolen vehicles and a trailer were recovered in that operation.
To add insult to injury, the victim of this recent theft had served his country during World War II as a Tuskegee Airman. A short biography by redtail.org explains that the Tuskegee Airmen were the first group of African-American fighter pilots in the U.S. Armed Forces. At the time, the Armed Forces were deeply segregated, and African-Americans weren’t allowed to fly the fighting planes. However, in 1940, that began to change, as activists pressured for equality in the Forces, with then President Franklin D. Roosevelt siding with the patriotic and determined African-American recruits.
It has been reported by IJReview that this is not the first time a Tuskegee Airman has been the victim of auto theft. Two years ago, an 88-year-old veteran was held at gunpoint by three teens that made off with his car.
It is estimated that around 200 hundred Tuskegee Airmen still survive. The group made news earlier in the year when two members passed away on the same day, both at the age of 91, and both good friends with one another.
[Photo from St. Louis Police Department]
