United States, Alabama, Macon County, Tuskegee, 32.42415, -85.69096United States, Mississippi, Keesler Army AirfieldTaylor, DavidVerHoef, Sue HardyPouncy, Hillard W., 1922-2018-02-15In this interview, Hillard Pouncy recalls his service in the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He remembers his growing up years, living with his grandparents in order to help them, and working his way through Tuskegee Institute (later Tuskegee University). He recalls hearing about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He knew that he would be unlikely to finish school because of the war and realized that volunteering for military service might provide him more choices than being drafted. He describes the formation of the Tuskegee Airmen; his early training; their poor treatment by white officers; and the mutual respect he developed with one of his white instructors. He "washed out" of pilot training and became a bombardier with the newly formed 477th Bombardment Group. They anticipated being sent to the Pacific, but the war wound down before that happened. He describes the Norden bombsight and how it was used. He remembers the racial tensions of the time and the Tuskegee Airmen who were arrested for attempting to integrate all-white officers' clubs. He describes his post-military education; his career as a chemist; and the impact his grandparents had on his life. He recalls stories his grandfather told about growing up the child of formerly enslaved parents. He remembers a conversation he had with a USAAF veteran many years after the war who described how a pair of P-51 fighters, flown by Tuskegee Airmen, safely escorted the man's crippled aircraft back to its base. This interview was conducted by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Atlanta Branch.Tuskegee Airmen; pre-flight school; Freeman Field Mutiny; B-25; P-51; discrimination;Hillard Pouncy served in the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.video/mp4Atlanta, Ga. : Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History Centerhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Veterans History Project oral history recordingsVeterans History Project collection, MSS 1010, Kenan Research Center, Atlanta History CenterWorld War, 1939-1945--Participation, African-AmericanWorld War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, AmericanNorden bombsightSegregation--United StatesTuskegee InstituteUnited States. Army Air Forces. Bombardment Group, 477thAssociation for the Study of African-American Life and HistoryUnion Carbide CorporationOral history interview of Hillard W. Pouncy Sr.MovingImage