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 |
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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. |
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Group Three:
Roger C. Terry |
Ollie C. Goodall |
James V. Kennedy |
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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 |
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At 1520 hours, alone
Edward V. Hipps, Jr. |
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At 1540 hours:
William B. Ellis |
Spann Watson |
Le Roy F. Gillead |
P. T. Anderson |
Harry R. Dickerson |
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At 1545 hours:
Arthur B. Polite |
James W. Mason |
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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 |
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"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. |
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