Thomas Ellis (Tuskegee Airman)
Thomas Ellis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Thomas Ellis 1944 | |
| Birth name | Thomas Marvin Ellis |
| Born | June 29, 1920 |
| Died | January 2, 2018 (aged 97) San Antonio, Texas |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Rank | Sergeant Major[2] |
| Unit | |
| Awards |
|
| Spouse(s) | Janie |
Sgt. Major Thomas Ellis (June 29, 1920 – January 2, 2018) from San Antonio, Texas, was a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He served in the 301st Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group during WWII.
Early life and education
[edit]Ellis grew up in San Antonio, Texas and graduated from Wheatley High School He attended Samuel Huston College in Austin. He married his wife Janie in early 1942.[1]
Military service
[edit]
He was drafted into the Army in June 1942[1] and was sent to basic training in Newport News, VA and in October 1942 he was assigned to Tuskegee with the 99th Fighter Squadron.[4] When Ellis arrived at Tuskegee Army Airfield in 1942 he was the only member 301st Fighter Squadron.[1] In 1944 he was sent to Ramitelli Air Base in Italy with the Tuskegee Airmen 301st Fighter Squadron. He was an administrator and served under Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. with the 332nd Fighter Group's transfer to Taranto, Italy.[4] He achieved the rank of sergeant major and earned seven battle stars.[1][2] He was discharged in September 1945.[4]
Later life
[edit]When he returned from the war he worked as a USPS mail carrier until his retirement in 1984.[4] He died of a stroke January 2, 2018, and was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.[2]
Awards
[edit]- Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006[5]
- Battle Stars (7)
See also
[edit]- Executive Order 9981
- List of Tuskegee Airmen
- Military history of African Americans
- Fly (2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and museum
Further reading
[edit]- The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939–1949[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Christensen, Sig (January 9, 2018). "Thomas Ellis, a Tuskegee Airman, is dead at 97". My San Antonio News. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c Fannin, John (January 10, 2018). "Remembering Tuskegee Airman Thomas Ellis". Military Times. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, March 1, 2000.
- ^ a b c d "Thomas Marvin Ellis". CAF Rise Above. November 27, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
- ^ Rangel, Charles B. (April 11, 2006). "Tuskegee Airmen Gold Medal Signed into Law". Press Release. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
- ^ Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome A.; Haulman, Daniel Lee (2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939–1949. Montgomery: New South Books. p. 394. ISBN 978-1588382443. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
Notes
[edit]External links
[edit]- Tuskegee Airmen at Tuskegee University
- Tuskegee Airmen Archives at the University of California, Riverside Libraries.
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
- Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
- Thomas Ellis at Find a Grave
