Films on famed Tuskegee Airmen prompts diversity discussion

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson
Wisconsin National Guard

Lights, camera ... discussion.

While the movie "Red Tails" soars across cinema screens nationwide, an earlier dramatization of the 332nd Fighter Group - the famed Tuskegee Airmen - and its battles in the skies over Europe as well as against discrimination by fellow Americans was viewed by Wisconsin National Guard members and civilian Department of Military Affairs employees Tuesday (Feb. 7). The 1995 movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" was part of a professional development session on diversity, led by Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin.

"It's interesting to see the parallels from back then and today," said Col. Julie Gerety, manpower and personnel director for the Wisconsin National Guard's Joint Staff. "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - same kind of concept. And females in combat, same thing - let's address it after the war."

Col. Julio Barron, a senior member of the Wisconsin National Guard's staff judge advocate office, agreed.

"What will define our time when history looks back at us?" he said, noting the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. "I think it's going to be sexual orientation."

Dunbar said the movie stressed the importance of seeing someone from an individual's particular community in a leadership role.

Wisconsin National Guard members and civilian Department of Military Affairs employees watch the 1995 movie "The Tuskegee Airmen" at Joint Force Headquarters' Witmer Hall on Tuesday (Feb. 7) as part of a professional development session on diversity. Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, led a discussion following the movie. Wisconsin National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

"It wasn't too long ago that we had very few women in the military," Dunbar said. "Now we have [women as] senior leaders in the military, so young women joining the military today can look at an organization and see a senior leader and say, 'Okay, that could be me.'"

Dunbar related a scene from the movie in which Lt. Hannibal Lee informs the cadet pilots that he has numerous combat missions under his belt, and how the cadets suddenly see him not as a black officer and novice instructor, but a combat leader and someone to look up to.

"So when we talk about having someone from a diverse population join our ranks, and we grow from within, the importance of future generations being able to look into the Wisconsin National Guard and not only see the things we stand for, but that piece of you that comes from your community," Dunbar said, "I think that's important."

Barron, now an Air National Guard officer, recalled joining the military as an Army second lieutenant and immediately encountering bigotry with his unit commander.

"He used racial slurs toward me ... because I'm Hispanic," Barron said. "Frankly, it angered me so much that I said, 'After my four-year tour, I'm going to get out of the Army and I really don't want anything more to do with it.' But I didn't get out, and I made a commitment to try and change perceptions from within the organization."

Barron said that today he sees members of underrepresented groups in senior leadership positions.

"I am personally proud that we have made such strides in the armed forces," he said.

Dunbar noted that new people groups in the United States historically met with prejudice and discrimination at first. President Harry Truman overcame his own prejudices to integrate the armed forces, he added.

"[Truman] said, 'There's no way we can treat these Americans that way after they've served our country,'" Dunbar said.

1st Lt. Ron Adams, the Wisconsin National Guard's diversity officer, pointed out that diversity is bigger than race and gender.

"If you noticed throughout the movie, when they started meeting each other, they were all different," Adams said. "That one guy was from the city, and the other guy was from a rural area. You had the two pilots who were on a bomber, from Texas and California. We're all different in some kind of way. We need to be mindful of that."

Gerety said that everyone has some level of prejudice.

"This movie just reinforces that sometime you've got to open your mind and listen to what people have to say," she said. "No matter who it is and what prejudice you have, everybody does bring something to the table."

The first of the Wisconsin National Guard Diversity Council's four tenets is mission readiness. Dunbar asked how diversity applies.

"You have to draw from every age in your ranks, their background - whether they're rural or from the city - and capitalize on their life experiences, the deployments they might have," replied Maj. Max Brosig, executive officer with the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation.

"The second [tenet] is change management," Dunbar said. "Our country's changing, there's no doubt about that. Cultural awareness is the third tenet. And then there's respect - everyone has something to offer.

"Things will continue to change and evolve in our country, and that's a good thing," Dunbar continued. "But I believe the foundation remains the same. So no matter who they are or where they come from, if we're not doing our job right, you'll see the breakdown in the National Guard - not because they're not capable, but because we don't lead them well. If we do our job as leaders, we'll always have a great National Guard."