A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman [Hardcover]

Charles W. Dryden (Author), Benjamin O. Davis Jr (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1997

A-Train is the story of one of the black Americans who, during World War II, graduated from Tuskegee (AL) Flying School and served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps’ 99th Pursuit Squadron. Charles W. Dryden presents a fast-paced, balanced, and personal account of what it was like to prepare for a career traditionally closed to African Americans, how he coped with the frustrations and dangers of combat, and how he, along with many fellow black pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and crewmen, emerged with a magnificent war record.

Under the command of Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the Tuskegee airmen fought over North Africa, Sicily, and Europe, escorting American bomber crews who respected their "no-losses" record. Some were shot down, many of them were killed or captured by the enemy, and several won medals of valor and honor. But the airmen still faced great barriers of racial prejudice in the armed forces and at home. As a member of that elite group of young pilots who fought for their country overseas while being denied civil liberties at home, Dryden presents an eloquent story that will touch each and every reader.

 

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

As a member of the first group of African Americans to be trained as military pilots during World War II, in a project known as the Tuskegee experiment, Dryden had to overcome enormous obstacles to serve his country. Though it was believed at the time that black men could not be pilots, the pilots trained at Tuskegee had a distinguished record. Squadrons staffed by Tuskegee airmen never lost a bomber that they were escorting to enemy fighters. In this disturbing memoir, titled after the nickname of Dryden's airplane, the author relates how every possible obstacle was put in the way of these men. For example, at one base, German POWs could use the PX but the Tuskegee pilots could not. At another base, the Officers Club was closed so that it would not have to be integrated. Dryden effectively conveys how destructive discrimination can be. Highly recommended for all libraries and essential for those dealing with African American studies.?Terry L. Wirick, Erie Cty. Lib. System, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Through the eyes of an original Tuskegee airman, the reader catches glimpses of two wars, three continents, and twenty years of military service. . . . [An] honest portrayal that will enlighten young and old, civilian and military, historians and laymen."

—Military History of the West

"Dryden is the archetype of both the first mainstream generation of black officers, and of the career reservists who were a mainstay of America’s armed forces during the first years of the Cold War."

—Multicultural Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: University Alabama Press; First Edition edition (April 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817308563
• ISBN-13: 978-0817308568
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent memoir of a man from an interesting age, May 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman (Hardcover)

I initially bought this book expecting it to be similar to the other slew of WWII books out there ( The ME-109 dove at me out of the sun with guns blazing...). Instead I got an honest account of a man who wanted to fly for his country and be treated with the same respect as any other pilot. Dryden's memories and descriptions of his voyage through training to be a pilot as well as the segregated and de-segregated Air Force are interesting and honest. Dryden't narrative is not the heart-pounding, can't-put-the-book down type but rather the story of a man who, faced with tremendous adversity from his own society and country, persevered. There is no bitterness in Dryden's story, and I put the book down tremendously impressed by his belief in himself, in his religion and his friend. It's a good book

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive study in courage, December 16, 1999

By 

Mark Dement - See all my reviews

This review is from: A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman (Hardcover)

I meet Col. Dryden when he gave a talk about his experiences and his book. I then read the book a felt a tremendous respect for the author and all the Tuskeegee Airmen. Col. Dryden tells his personal story in a way that made me feel as though I was there with him the whole time. The challanges of blacks in America in his story left a powerful impact on me, the courage the author displayed is an insperation. A-Train is very well written and reads easily. It is an powerful story that left me feeling inadequate and ashamed to be white. I had the oportunity to meet Col. Dryden again and sought him out just to shake his hand again, knowing him from his book, it was hard to hide my emotions.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fighting Germany and America., April 19, 2000

By 

Paul B (Yuanlin, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman (Hardcover)

Charles Dryden's book forces people to see the trials and tribulations encountered by black servicemen and women during WWII. I was shocked to read about the different encounters with 'Jim Crow' that Dryden and his peers waded through during their service years. A must for anybody curious about WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen or about the fight for civil rights in America.