World War II Honoree

Herndon M. 'Don' Cummings

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Dublin, Georgia

Honored By

Col. Ronald L. Albers, USAFR (Ret)

Relationship

Friend

BEGAN HIS ASSOCIATION WITH THE MILITARY IN WWII AT TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA AS A CONSTRUCTION WORKER ON THE PROJECT TO BUILD TUSKEGEE ARMY AIRFIELD. SOON DRAFTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY, HE APPLIED FOR AND WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS’ AVIATION TRAINING PROGRAM AT TUSKEGEE FIELD. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. HE WAS COMMISSIONED LIEUTENANT AND GRADUATED WITH CLASS 45A, RECEIVING HIS PILOT WINGS WITH A MULTI-ENGINE RATING. HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT WAS TO FREEMAN FIELD, INDIANA, AS AIRCRAFT COMMANDER OF THE B-25 (MITCHELL) BOMBER. HE WAS FULLY TRAINED AND COMBAT-READY FOR DEPLOYMENT TO THE PACIFIC THEATRE WHEN JAPAN SURRENDERED AND WWII ENDED. HE WAS ONE OF THE 101 FREEMAN FIELD AIRMEN WHOSE DEMANDS FOR PARITY (RACIAL EQUALITY) LED TO THEIR ARREST IN THE OFFICERS’ CLUB AND SUBSEQUENT INCARCERATION IN PRISON AT GODMAN FIELD, KENTUCKY. ULTIMATELY, THEY WERE FREED AND PARDONED BY PRESIDENT TRUMAN, WHO SOON THEREAFTER ISSUED EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981, THE DOCUMENT THAT FORMALLY ENDED SEGREGATION IN THE U.S. MILITARY. HE LEFT THE ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY IN 1946 AND JOINED THE AIR FORCE RESERVES, WHERE HE SERVED FOR 20 MORE YEARS AS A PILOT ON THE C-119 FLYING BOXCAR, THE C-47 SKYTRAIN AND THE C-46 COMMANDO. HE RETIRED FROM MILITARY SERVICE AS A MAJOR IN 1966.