Central Illinois pilots were part of the Tuskegee Airmen who made history [Herald & Review, Decatur, Ill.]

Feb. 04--DECATUR -- With the release of the movie "Red Tails," the Tuskegee Airmen are again in the public spotlight. The pioneer fighters were highly effective during the latter half of World War II, and the stories of two of the airmen from Central Illinois</location> continue to intrigue.

Ellsworth Dansby Jr. of Decatur was the second black man to be sworn into the Army Air Force and the first enlisted man in the group to receive the rank of master sergeant during World War II.

Dansby, a graduate of Decatur High School and Millikin University, was perhaps the first to report for duty when the first black aviation unit, the 99th Pursuit Squadron of the Army Air Corps, was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul in March 1941. The 99th later moved to Tuskegee, Ala., where it became the foundation of the Tuskegee Airmen.

Maj. Charles "Charlie" B. Hall, graduated from Eastern Illinois University before going on to earn the Distinguished Flying Cross after shooting down two German fighters during one mission with the 99th Squadron.

The saga of the Tuskegee Airmen goes like this: In 1944, after enduring racism throughout their recruitment and training, a squadron of young black fighter pilots is finally sent into combat in Italy, although flying worn-out Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft. They score their first aerial victories, and when losses in bomber raids reach alarming proportions, the Tuskegee Airmen are given the role of protecting the bombers over Germany.

Up against the best Luftwaffe planes and pilots, the Tuskegee Airmen prove to be effective fighters. They make a difference as the air war continues over Europe, becoming the most requested escorts for bombers. They were called "Red Tail Angels," by the Germans, signified by red paint on the plane's tail section. They referred to themselves as "The Lonely Eagles" in reference to their isolation as a result of segregation and discrimination.

Dansby began applying to the Air Force shortly after his graduation from high school. At that time, blacks were not accepted in technical units. Then on March 19, 1941, the 99th Squadron was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul and sent to Tuskegee.

He had always been fascinated with flying. As a curious boy, he had a flying experience, launching himself from a steep hill on a frame strung with bed sheets. He and friends built countless model airplanes. And, at the age of 12, Dansby flew an airplane alone at a farm airstrip near Dalton City, taking off and landing safely.

After the war, Dansby returned to Decatur and campaigned for civil rights and racial integration. He organized blacks to pay their power bills in pennies until the Illinois Power Co. hired black female office workers. He was a member of the Decatur school board from 1968 to 1971. In 1987, he received a pioneer airman plaque from the Harris Bank of Chicago.

"He was an unusual person," said Horace Livingston Jr., publisher of The Voice black newspaper and a longtime friend of Dansby. "He didn't have to stick his neck out. He could have been a laid-back person, but that wasn't good enough. He came down on the side of the underprivileged and have-nots."

Dansby died June 4, 1989, of a heart attack.

Hall's connection to Charleston started before the war, when he attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College, as the university was then known, from 1938-39. He was a halfback on the Panther football squad and a sprinter for the Eastern track team.

After leaving Eastern, Hall started aviation training with the Tuskegee Airmen project. The training at a military airfield near Alabama'sTuskegee Institute, one of the earliest higher education centers for blacks, was intended for them to prove they could fight in any capacity for their country.

Hall excelled at the training, and by 1942, he and his fellow aviators were facing war duty. In early 1944, near the Allied beachhead of Anzio, Italy, Hall shot down two German fighters during one mission. Other Tuskegee pilots earned kills in the air that day, as well. Hall earned the Flying Cross, one of many earned by the Red Tails, and more congratulations from American generals. Hall emerged with three swastikas on the side of his P-40 Warhawk fighter, noting his three battle kills.

With several dozen combat missions completed by late 1944, Hall came back to the United States and participated in war bond drives, which helped raise millions of dollars for the war effort.

He was a war hero, but his wife, Maxine Payne, recalled how combat and close escapes had taken their toll.

"He couldn't sit still. He was kind of jittery. I think they all were," she said. "But he was a good pilot and more or less a daredevil when it came to flying. I've only flown a few times myself. To be honest, I'm not in love with flying."

Charlie and Maxine were only married for a few years. Hall, who finished his military career as a major, then moved to Oklahoma City, where he went into the insurance business. He died in 1971. He had dreamed of hitting the skies again.

"It's my understanding he wanted to get back into civilian flying. But when he did, and the medical examination required to get him a license, they found he had cancer. He died soon after that," said Charles "Teddy" Hall, the aviator's son from another relationship.

Payne has seen the new movie, which does not use real names but shows combat incidents that certainly relate to the flying exploits her late husband and the other 99th pilots.

"I'm not sure if the movie is really doing justice to what they went through," she said. "I had kept up with my 99th friends. We were like an extended family. Most all of them have passed away. I think all of them were real heroes."

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