John H. Adams Jr.

2nd Lt. John H. Adams Jr. (December 16, 1918 - February 15, 2018)[1] from Kansas City, KS, is a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.[2] He was one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[3]

2nd lieutenant

John H. Adams Jr.
John H. Adams Jr. (1944)
Born(1918-12-16)December 16, 1918
Hiawatha, Kansas
DiedFebruary 15, 2018(2018-02-15) (aged 99)
Kansas City, KS
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Force
Years of service
  • 1942-1945 WWII
Rank2nd lieutenant
  • 2nd Lieutenant (Army Air force)
Unit
  • 99th Fighter Squadron
  • 332nd Fighter Group
Awards
Spouse(s)Barbara Jean
Relations
Sons: John, George, David, Robert

Military service

World War II
The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."[N 1]

Adams was drafted in 1942 and he was sent to Fort Leavenworth, KS. The army sent him to school in Boston to study engineering and topography.[5] He was then assigned to the U. S. Air Force Engineers in California.[6] Adams had suffered a broken leg which prevented him from going off the European Theatre with the soldiers in his company. In 1943 he decided to become a pilot and he was sent to Tuskegee for flight training. in 1945 Adams completed flight training and was ready to ship out to the European Theatre. He was commissioned 2nd lieutenant and sent to Walterboro Army Airfield. The war in Europe came to an end and Adams was not sent.[5]

Awards
  • Congressional Gold Medal (2007)[2]

Education
  • Kansas City Art Institute (Master of fine art degree)[5]

Personal life

Adams was raised in Kansas by his parents Clintonia Margarite (Née Brooks) Adams and John W. H. Adams, Sr.; he had two sisters, Wilma Louise Adams; and Alice Loree Tucker.[6]

He left the Army in 1946 and married Barbara Jean: together they had four sons. The marriage lasted 51 years until Barbara Jean's death. Adams worked in a movie theatre after the war, and in 1957 he became a USPS letter carrier. He also started a lawn cutting service to make extra money.[5]

See also

Further reading
  • The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949[7]
  • "Born to Fly the Skies." Weirton Daily Times (Weirton, W.Va.) 23 February 2013. Web. 17 January 2014.
  • "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Listing." Tuskegee University, 2014, Web. 17 January 2014.

References
  1. "Union Cemetery - Burial Records Steubenville, Jefferson County, Ohio". interment.net. Clear Digital Media, Inc. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. Rangel, Charles B. (April 11, 2006). "Tuskegee Airmen Gold Medal Signed Into Law". Press Release. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  3. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  4. Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
  5. "John H. Adams Jr". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. "John Henry Adams, Jr". Thatcherfuneralhome.com. Thatcher's Funeral Home, Inc.. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  7. 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
  1. The red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.[4]
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