Red Tails wish ‘happy birthday’ to original Tuskegee Airman

Credit: Christopher Parr | Date Taken: 05/05/2022
In celebration of retired Sgt. Victor Butler’s upcoming 100th birthday, Airmen assigned to the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing gathered to record a birthday message at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, May 2, 2022. Sgt. Butler is thought to be the last surviving Tuskegee Airman resident of Rhode Island. Individual birthday wishes were also recorded by Brigadier General Christopher Sage, 332d Air Expeditionary Wing commander; Chief Master Sergeant Sean Milligan, 332d AEW command chief; Colonel Brian Stahl, 332d AEW Intelligence, Operations, and Plans director; and Chief Master Sergeant Sean Scavetta, 332d AEW senior enlisted leader. The 332d AEW heritage is tied to the original Tuskegee Airmen from the 332d Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces. The Tuskegee Airmen name encompassed navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel. In 1947, the 332d was designated as a fighter wing and more than 50 years later the wing was re-designated as the 332d Air Expeditionary Wing. The 332d AEW is currently based at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia and is primarily focused on providing support to Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.