Prisoners of Freeman Field - The Tuskegee Airmen

 The Seymour Tribune

Thirty-six Black Officers Arrested At
Freeman Field, Indiana - April 6th, 1945

Last night 36 black officers were arrested for defying Colonel Robert R. Selway's "Jim Crow" order. This order barred them from entering an officer's club that he had wanted to keep exclusively for use by white officers. The officers were arrested in three groups. Following is a list of the officers arrested.

Group One:

Marsden A. Thompson

Robert S. Oayton

Roland A. Webber

Coleman A. Young

David J. Brown

Leonard E. Williams

Robert L. Hunter

Clifford C. Jarrett

Cyril P. Dryer

Marcus E. Clarkson

Frank V. Pavalo

Shirley L. Clinton

Lester B. Norris

Howard Storey

Clifton Barnett

Charles R. Taylor

Edward R. Tabbanor

Norman A. Holmes

James C. Warren

 

Group Two:

Argonne F. Harden

Carl O. Roach

Robert B. Johnson

LeRoy A. Battle

Wendell G. Freeman

Clarence C. Conway

Roger V. Pines

Edward R. Lunda

Victor I. Ranson

Lloyd W. Godffrey

Connie Nappier, Jr.

Robert J. McDaniel

George H. O. Martin

Adolphus Lewis, Jr.

 

 

Group Three:

Roger C. Terry

Ollie C. Goodall

James V. Kennedy

 

The black officers continued to defy Colonel Selway. Twenty-five additional officers were arrested for attempting to enter the club at the times indicated:

At 1515 hours:

Robert O'Neal

William H. Johnson

Herbert A. Harris

S. W. Green

C. E. Lewis

Leonard A. Altemus

Frank B. Sanders

George W. Prioleau, Jr.

Edward W. Watkins

Curtis Williams

Maurice J. Jackson

C. F. Lawrence

David J. Murphy

Sidney H. Marzette

Alvin B. Steele

Harry S. Lum

W. H. Miller

 

 

 

At 1520 hours, alone

Edward V. Hipps, Jr.

 

 

 

At 1540 hours:

William B. Ellis

Spann Watson

Le Roy F. Gillead

P. T. Anderson

Harry R. Dickerson

 

 

 

At 1545 hours:

Arthur B. Polite

James W. Mason

 

 

A total of 61 black officers were now under arrest. After two days of arrest, 58 of the officers were released. Col. Selway continued to hold three of the men; Roger C. Terry, Marsden A. Thompson and Shirley R. Clinton.

Col. Selway was very unhappy with the actions of the officers and wrote Base Regulation 85-2 and ordered all officers sign an endorsement that the officer had read and understood it. This regulation barred the black officers from the white officers club. Over a period of two days, 101 black officers refused to sign and were placed under arrest.

Officers under arrest on April 13th, 1945:

Arthur L. Ward

James B. Williams

David A. Smith

William C. Perkins

James Whyte

Stephen Hotesse

Wardell A. Polk

Robert E. Lee

George H. Kydd

Donald D. Harris

Paul L. White

Charles E. Wilson

John E. Wilson

Paul W. Scott

McCray Jenkins

Harris H. Robnett

Donald A. Hawkins

Glenn W. Pullman

Eugene L. Woodson

 

"E" Squadron, 118th AAF Base Unit

Frank B. Sanders

walter M. Miller

Denny C. Jefferson

James H. Sheperd

Edward R. Lunda

James E. Jones

Sidney H. Marzette

Leonard A. Altemus

Howard Storey

James C. Warren

Cleophus W. Valentine

Ario Dixione

Robert B. Johnson

Calvin Smith

Lewis C. Hubbard, Jr.

William J. Curtis

Cyril P. Dryer

Victor L. Ranson

Lloyd W. Godfrey

LeRoy F. Gillead

Connie Nappier, Jr.

Argonne F. Harden

Robert L. Hunter

James W. Brown, Jr.

Charles F. Darnell

James V. Kennedy

Glenn L. Head

Harry R. Dickerson

Quentin P. Smith

Charles J. Dorkins

Maurice A. Jackson. Jr.

Herdon M. Cummings

Mitchell L. Higginbothan

Alfred U. McKenzie

Herbert J. Schwing

Wendell G. Freeman

David J. Murphy

Calvin T. Warrick

Robert S. Payton, Jr.