Profile America - Tuskegee Airman

WASHINGTON -  The famous squadron of African-American fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen was officially activated on this date in 1941.  

The pioneering unit fought in North Africa, Sicily and Europe.  They shot down more than 100 German aircraft and were awarded two distinguished unit citations, as well as many individual medals.  

The surviving members of the squadron were invited guests at President Obama's inauguration, and a movie by George Lucas is in the works, called "Red Tails," in honor of the way their P-51 Mustangs were painted.  

Of the nation's nearly 22 million veterans, 2.3 million are black.