ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – On Friday, family members of military servicemen and women at Scott Air Force Base met to honor a Tuskegee Airman with a storied legacy.
It was a celebration of Major Lewis John Lynch on his birthday, which included a new addition at Scott Field Heritage Airpark in his honor.
And to make it special, it was a sunny sky Friday afternoon to honor Lynch, a man who often took to the skies.
“Today is the birthday of Major Lewis J. Lynch, so we’ve come together to celebrate his legacy here at Heritage Park at Scott Air Force Base,” says Grace McKenney, Captain USAF & President of the Lewis J. Lynch Tuskegee Airmen Corporation.
Major Lewis John Lynch graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in 1944, becoming one of the first African-American military aviators, flying 42 combat missions during World War II.
He raised a family while stationed at Scott Air Base and would educate service members and the public about the Tuskegee Airmen. Lynch died in 2007.
His son, David, and his daughter, Robin, recounted stories of their father flying P-51s from Italy with the 332nd Fighter Group.
Now, you can have a seat on a bench with his name on it, in a setting that Lynch would have liked, looking at aviation history and talking about some stories not taught in books.
“Some of our pillars are serving the community, mentoring the youth, and getting them interested in STEM and aviation,” says McKenney. “Also, Major Lynch was a Tuskegee Airman.”
“Being able to overcome odds like my father was able to do is a terribly important message to send forth to the youth,” says David. “I think he’d be overjoyed. He’s modest and would say, ‘Aw shucks.’”
“He would laugh or make a joke,” says Robin. “Humor was one of the things, and we’d look through the picture books of the Tuskegee Airmen, and he’d talk about them. Historical training in Tuskegee or Italy—and they’re smiling. Who knows what that day was like for them, but they were really like a band of brothers.”
“Just don’t forget the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen,” says Victor Dorset, Advisory Member of the Lewis Lynch Tuskegee Chapter. “The barriers they broke through—like I say, they opened a lot of doors for a lot of individuals.”
