Violist On The Roof

auntada:

Eugene Bullard is considered to be the first African-American military pilot to fly in combat, and the only African-American pilot in World War I. He never, however, flew for the United States.

Born October 9, 1895, in Columbus, Georgia, Bullard’s early youth was unhappy. He made several unsuccessful attempts to runaway from home until, at the age of 11, he ran away for good. He spent several years wandering the South in search of freedom. In 1912 he stowed away on a German freighter bound for Hamburg, and ended up in Aberdeen, Scotland. From there, he made his way to London, where he worked as a boxer and slapstick performer in Belle Davis’s Freedman Pickaninnies, an African American entertainment troupe. In 1913, Bullard settled in Paris, where he finally experienced a sense of home.

In the summer of 1914, Bullard enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. While serving with the 170th Infantry Regiment, Bullard fought in the Battle of Verdun, where he was wounded seriously. He was sent to Lyon to recuperate. While on leave in Paris, Bullard bet a friend $2,000 that despite his color he could enlist in the French flying service. Bullard’s determination paid off, and in November 1916 he entered the Aéronautique Militaire.

Bullard received his wings in May 1917. In November 1917, he claimed two aerial victories. During his flying days, Bullard is said to have had an insignia on his fighter plane that portrayed a heart with a dagger running through it and the slogan “All Blood Runs Red.” He earned the nickname “The Black Swallow of Death”.

I never knew…