Tuskegee Airmen instructor memorialized at Arkansas Capitol

Little Rock's own Tuskegee Airman, Milton Crenchaw, in 2012.  He is holding a model of the type of airplane he flew in WWII.
Little Rock's own Tuskegee Airman, Milton Crenchaw, in 2012. He is holding a model of the type of airplane he flew in WWII.

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas lawmakers and officials on Tuesday celebrated the legacy of Milton Pitts Crenchaw, a flight instructor who trained the first blacks to fly combat airplanes in World War II.

Dozens gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday for a memorial ceremony for Crenchaw. Crenchaw was an Arkansas native who died last month in Georgia after battling cardiovascular disease and pneumonia. His family was given citations from the House and Senate honoring his life.

Officials also unveiled a portrait of Crenchaw that will be displayed at the state Capitol during the next week.

Crenchaw was among the last surviving instructors of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was among the original flight instructors in the program that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted to train black pilots for war.

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