Atlanta Daily World

WALTERBORO MORALE SHOT

Believe Pilots Sent South For Spirit-Breaking
ANP Reporter In First Of Series On Biased Base
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of persistent reports that the 553rd pursuit squadron had been "railroaded" from Selfridge field, Mich., to Walterboro air-base, S. C. for protesting segregation at the northern training field, the Associated Negro Press sent a reporter to Walterboro to obtain the facts in the case for the readers of this newspaper. What this correspondent, Ernest Johnson, chief of the ANP Washington bureau, found is contained in three articles, the first of which follows.)
By ERNEST JOHNSON
WALTERBORO AIRBASE, S. C.-(ANP)-Because morale of men at this airbase was reported low. Because two of the 99th Pursuit squadron, back from overseas had been dismissed from the service through court-martial, and at least two other men have been court-martialed. And because rumors of general unrest and discrimination had been reported, the Associated Negro Press undertook an on-the-spot investigation of the situation.
The outfit involved is what formerly was the 553rd Pursuit squadron, which has been stationed at Selfridge field, Mich., until May 7 when it was suddenly transferred to this South Carolina post in the middle of Dixie and all it means.
NOT HAPPY PICTURE
The picture is not a happy one. There is indeed much room for improvement on the part of the army air forces if training and the establishment-yes, the establishment-of high morale-are to be achieved among a group of men who in a relatively short time will be flying high over Germany for the cause of America.
By the same token, these men and related ground personnel have the responsibility of constantly exhibiting their diligence in accordance with army regulations, knowing as they do that despite the demonstrated capability of the 99th Pursuit squadron there is still a segment of the army which even now would prefer not to see Negroes develop in the air branch of this country's armed services.
The 553rd, flying P-47 Thunderbolts, hadn't cracked up yet, as Major Joseph B. Price, assistant director of flying operations and training noted. In fact, there hadn't been a fatality among the men since a short time before leaving Selfridge field, a favorable record.
SPROUTS AT SELFRIDGE
The seed of discord took root at Selfridge. Six officers from the 99th had returned from overseas to work with the nucleus of the 553rd, which was activated last November at Selfridge Field and Oscoda, Mich. They were 1st Lts. Walter Lawson, Graham Smith, Louis R. Purnell, Spann Watson, Charles W. Dryden, and J. Rayford. The outfit was ultimately to be officered with all Negro personnel.
In due course the men were united at Selfridge and for a time had a succession of commanding officers. The last of them, Lt. Col. Sam P. Triffy, came south with them. Under one of these commanders, Lt. Col. Charles Cayle, the men observed a tendency to place Negro officers as assistants to white supervisory personnel in the table of organization. Lts. Rayford and Purnell decided they preferred fighting and so went overseas with the 332nd Fighter
group.
(Continued on page 4, Col. 8)

matic devoted care and upkeep, an atmosphere which, in season and out, will invite the tired wayfarer to meditate, to pray, to wonder! In short to obey because he can't help it, the Divine injunction to worship God "in the beauty of holiness."

Believe Pilots
(Continued from page 1)
Trainees of the 553rd stuck tongues in cheeks.
While at Selfridge the issue of the officer's club arose and a plan to provide separate facilities for the races was thwarted after the Negro fliers had voted unanimously to refuse the separate club. The undercurrent of resentment developed among the colored officers and evidenced itself in sundry ways.

On May 5 the 553rd entrained for Walterboro airbase. They were not told then or since then why they had been moved south. The accepted opinion among them, however, is that the move was made for the explicit purpose of subjecting them truly to the rigors of segregation as only the south can practice it, and thereby kill their spirit.

LOW SPIRIT TODAY
That spirit today is low, and the transfer is a contributing factor. None of the ranking officers with whom I talked, from Col. Iver Massey, deputy commanding officer of the first air force, down know or was prepared to say why the transfer was made. An obvious explanation might well have been the conjecture made by William H. Hastie, formerly civilian aide to the secretary of war, a short time ago, namely that the main stream of flight training is in the south, and that it is proper that Negro trainees should receive their training where all other to-be flying officers are schooled. But not even this reason was advanced by the commanding officers. "I don't know," was generally their reply to the question.

Incidentally, when the transfer was made, none of the colored boys was permitted to fly his craft down although the whites did. Reason given was that eating facilities might not have been available to them at intermediate stops enroute. "That was a slap in the face," was the comment of one of the fellows with whom I talked, "especially to the boys who had been overseas."

TORN UP ORGANIZATION
The fact remains that the 553rd, officers and enlisted men, arrived at Walterboro on Monday, May 7, found themselves no longer a complete organization but rather than the fliers were now a replacement training unit, and the ground crew a part of the base personnel, and real segregation on an army post was staring them straight in the face.

Public relations officers at Walterboro explained that the post had previously been a sub-base of a base near Charleston but more recently had been given full base status. Further, it was explained that Walterboro had, since the arrival of the 553rd, become a location for advanced training of pilots who would shortly thereafter leave as replacements for men of the 99th and 332nd. The only pilots at the base are colored, except for the various supervisory personnel (instructors). Total personnel at Walterboro was estimated at approximately 1,600 men of which about one-third are Negroes. Prior to the arrival of the former 553rd a colored aviation squadron (separate) had come in; the number was not large. Altogether, separate facilities for almost everything but hospital care were provided. At first no attempt was made by public relations officers to make distinction between the character of the Negro personnel, preferring to refer to all of them at RTU (replacement training unit), and the reason offered as justification for separate facilities was that "the RTU has a schedule to make."

PERSONNEL KEPT OUT
It finally developed, however, that as a means of getting around racial designations for the use of certain facilities, two classes of individuals were recognized and defined: RTU for the colored; base personnel for the white. Hence when the sign was put up, upon orders of Col. Prince, over the entrance to a service center where sodas are dispensed, it said for "base" personnel. It means "Negroes keep out." They have been refused service and so have kept out.

These definitions ignored the fact that both the aviation squadron (separate) and the ground crew which accompanied the 553rd, all Negroes, had become part of the base personnel. Col. Prince admitted later in my talk with him that these observations were accurate. When he was asked about their actual inclusion, he said simply that "they should have been taken into the housekeeping," but reminded that "South Carolina has always been a state which believes in the separation of the races." He was merely conforming.