Tuskegee Airmen History Comes to Aviation Classroom

Duchesne Aviation students received a lesson in aviation history on September 21 from retired United States Air Force Major Yolandea M. Wood.

Wood visited the class to speak about the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and the lessons students can take from their experiences.

“Most of the youth have not heard of the Tuskegee Airmen,” Wood said. “But I try to make it relatable to them based on some characteristic that they may not be able to control. I may ask them, ‘Have you ever been told you’re too tall or too short, or you wear glasses? Have you been excluded based on those attributes?’”

The approach stood out to junior Aiden Williamson.

“She was very interactive,” he said. “She described how they were treated. She would make her point by asking students to sit or stand based on their characteristics to show how black people were treated back then.”

For Aviation Teacher Dave Kleinschmidt, the presentation offered students an opportunity to learn about an important part of the country’s history.

“That’s a history of our country,” he said. “We’re great, but we’re not perfect. Everything in history is not perfect, but that’s why we learn about it. You learn from your mistakes.”

Wood currently serves as president of the Hugh J. White Tuskegee Airmen Chapter and formerly served as executive national recording secretary of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. She said she has been speaking about the Tuskegee Airmen since joining the organization around 1987.

“My message has evolved [over the years] as I have created parables or stories and integrated my Toastmasters experience,” she said.

Wood also brings an extensive aviation

background of her own to the classroom.

A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, she flew multiple KC-135 and EC-135 models as a navigator, special operations officer and navigator instructor until 1993. She later earned two Master of Arts degrees before returning to the Air Force Academy as an assistant professor of history and T-43 instructor navigator.

While stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, Wood flew more than 35 combat missions and four combat support missions in support of NATO Kosovo efforts. She retired from the Air Force in 2006 from the Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base.

Kleinschmidt first became familiar with Wood through the tight-knit local aviation community.

“I started using her for the summer camp,” he said. “She has them flying drones, and they love that. The more I talked to her, the more I learned from her.”

That experience also gave Kleinschmidt a firsthand look

at Wood’s ability to connect with students.

“Best I’ve ever seen,” he said of her teaching style. “She’s gifted.”

Senior Liam Boyd said the presentation gave him a greater understanding of what the Tuskegee Airmen faced and how they responded.

“She taught me a lot about how this was mishandled and how even though they were treated so terribly, they stuck by their mission,” he said.

For Wood, that perseverance is at the heart of what she hopes students remember.

“The biggest lesson that I want them to take away is to have perspective about the obstacles they face,” she said. “If they have the confidence of the Tuskegee Airmen, if they have the perseverance of the Tuskegee Airmen, then they can make history. They can change the world.”

It is a message Kleinschmidt said extends beyond the history lesson itself.

“She’s about motivating them and teaching them,” he said. “When someone says, ‘You can’t do that,’ you tell them, ‘Watch me.’”