(Photo By Flickr User H. Michael Miley)
A new memorial at Springfield’s airport honors the city’s only resident to graduate from pilot training at Tuskegee Army Air Base during World War II.
The late Lyman L. Hubbard Sr. served with the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen.
The (Springfield) State Journal-Register and week.com, reports a display honoring Hubbard was dedicated last Wednesday at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. It includes several photos and some of his medals.
Hubbard was born in Springfield in 1926 and spent much of his childhood on the family farm. He was a star athlete in high school, competing in basketball, football, and track.
Hubbard volunteered for the Army, where he flew a B-25 bomber. Though the military was segregated during World War II, his son Lee Hubbard says he “loved America.”
Lyman Hubbard, Sr. died in 2012.
Lyman L. Hubbard, Sr. Facts:and the other African-Americans who made up the Tuskegee Airmen:
* FEITSHANS GRAD: Hubbard was born in Springfield, IL, May 17, 1926, and spent much of his youth on the family farm. He graduated in 1944 from Feitshans High School, where he was an “A” student and a star athlete in basketball, football and track. He volunteered for the Army.
* SCOUTING VALUED: Lee Hubbard of Springfield, Lyman’s son, said his father’s involvement in the Boy Scouts, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, was extremely important.
“He grew up in a single-parent family. His father did not acknowledge him or his brother. They grew up poor and hungry. It was a tough time. He found his balance in the Boy Scouts. That was the cornerstone for the rest of his life in terms of improvising and overcoming. He knew how to survive,” Lee Hubbard said.
* SEGREGATED FIGHTERS: While the Tuskegee Airmen are probably best remembered for the red-tailed fighters they flew against the Germans, they also piloted other aircraft. Hubbard flew a B-25 bomber. The U.S. military was segregated during World War II, which meant the Tuskegee Airmen flew in squadrons made up entirely of black pilots, mechanics, ground crew and other support personnel. President Harry Truman issued an executive order on July 26, 1948, to desegregate the military.
* LOVE OF COUNTRY: Despite the unequal treatment of black servicemen during World War II, Lyman Hubbard was a patriot, his son said. “He loved America when America didn’t offer him full status. He knew the difference. You really have to love your country and believe in the Lord, and that’s what he did. He grew up with that strength. I’m lucky to be his son.”
* KOREAN WAR VET: Lyman Hubbard eventually became an instructor pilot in the B-25 bomber and was discharged after WWII. He was recalled during the Korean War and remained on active duty, including combat tours in Southeast Asia. He retired from the Air Force in 1970. He died at home on the family farm on January 12, 2012. He was 85.
