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On March 19, 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron ("pursuit" being the pre-World War II term for "fighter") was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul, Illinois. Over 250 enlisted men were trained at Chanute in aircraft ground support trades. This small number of enlisted men became the core of other black squadrons forming at Tuskegee and Maxwell Fields in Alabama.

In June 1941, the Tuskegee program began officially with the formation of the 99th Fighter Squadron at the Tuskegee Institute. The unit consisted of an entire service arm, including ground crew.

After basic training at Moton Field, they were moved to the nearby Tuskegee Army Air Field about 16 km (10 mi) to the west for conversion training onto operational types. The airmen were placed under the command of Captain Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., then one of the few black graduates of West Point.

Source: Wikipedia

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