Ceremony honoring Chicago’s DODO chapter of Tuskegee Airmen held at Aviation Institute of Maintenance campus
By Shardaa Gray
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CHICAGO, Illinois (WBBM) — Students at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Chicago learned about the Tuskegee Airmen’s contribution to the profession during a ceremony honoring the legacy of the city’s chapter.
“I’m telling you, you gonna be good. I don’t care what color you are, you gonna be good. You want to be one of the best,” said Dr. Bill Winston.
Dr. Winston shared inspirational words and stories in the McKinley Park neighborhood on Tuesday morning.
“Bullets surrounded my airplane, and none of them hit me, and I thank the lord for that,” he said.
The campus honored the legacy of Chicago’s DODO chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen during Black History Month.
Melvin Knazze, 80, is a member of the chapter.
“I’m just elated about that acknowledgement because it’s a part of our history that was buried for so long,” Knazze said.
Sheila Webber said her father was one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. She said carrying on his legacy means a lot to her.
“When I was growing up, it wasn’t talked about a whole lot back then,” she said.
Tuesday’s ceremony also spotlighted the next generation of aviation professionals being trained in Chicago, like 22-year-old AIM graduate Roman Carprue. He signed the tail of one plane.
“I’m officially airframe and powerplant rated, which gives me the authority to do maintenance on aircraft. Which is, you have to go through 18 months through AIM to achieve this,” Carprue said.
AIM senior instructor Victor Croswell said nearly 700 students have graduated since 2021 and came from all over Illinois, even out of state. Some are even at risk.
“What I try to preach to them and tell them on a continual basis, hey, we want to give you mentorship. We want to give you a positive direction to go in,” he said.
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