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Tuskegee Airmen and Vashon Graduate Carl
Carey dies.
Carl
Carey Sr., a St. Louis native who won in his
wings in World War II to fly as one of the famed
Tuskegee Airmen, died Saturday (Sept. 30, 2006)
of cardiac arrest at a health care center in Ann
Arbor, Mich. He was 84 and lived in Detroit.
Mr. Carey was a graduate of Vashon High School
and entered Arkansas State College. In 1941, he
joined the Army and began training at Moton
Field on the campus of Tuskegee Institute in
Tuskegee, Ala., which had been one of the first
civilian pilot training programs before the war.
Mr. Carey became a pilot in the 332nd Fighter
Squadron, known as the "Red Tail Angels." His
squadron of P-51 Mustang pilots shot down a
total of 12 German planes. Mr. Carey, then a
lieutenant, was credited with destroying two
German planes while escorting bombers over
Austria in 1945.
In May 1945, Mr. Carey enjoyed a celebration in
Italy, where he encountered his brother, Master
Sgt. James M. Carey Jr. The two had been
separated for two years.
In 1990, he
was depicted in "Black Americans in Flight," a
mural by artists Spencer Taylor and Solomon
Thurman at Lambert Field. The mural has 75
portraits, ranging from Eugene Bullard, a
fighter pilot for the French Flying Corps in
World War I, to three astronauts. One section of
the mural depicts 22 of the Tuskegee Airmen,
including Mr. Carey.
In 1991, Mr. Carey was inducted into the Vashon
Hall of Fame. In 1992, he returned to St. Louis,
where he was honored at the St. Louis Science
Center in a photo exhibit of African-American
aviators.
In addition to his wife, survivors include two
daughters, Judy Copes of Ann Arbor and
Jacqueline Peguese of Farmington Hills, Mich.;
two sons, Anthony Carey of Detroit and Carl E.
Carey Jr. of Ann Arbor; six grandchildren; and
one great-granddaughter.
Memorial contributions may be made to Tuskegee
Airmen Inc., P.O. Box 9166 Arlington, Va. 22219.
abridged
article from St Louis Post Dispatch - 10/05/2006 |
