Flight Error

Your Aug. 20 article on the HBO film “The Tuskegee Airmen” ran in the Fresno Bee on the same day. My philosophy in life is, “Give everybody the benefit of the doubt, but don’t put anything past anybody.” Therefore, I want to believe that what happened was not intentional but caused by something like “typographical error” or “research department foul-up.”

Here is what you printed: “The Tuskegee Airmen,” starring Laurence Fishburne, chronicles the remarkable tale of the U.S. Air Corps’ “Fighting 69th.” The squadron being mentioned should be the “Fighting 99th,” for it was the 99th, 100th, 301st and 302nd Fighter Squadrons that made up the all-black 332nd Fighter Group.

Afrikan-American history has in the past been either omitted all together or grossly distorted. When the opportunity to have our story told is presented, we would certainly prefer to have it told as accurately as possible. Thank you for your time.

Floyd D. Blackman III, NAS Lemmore