Charles W. Dryden
Charles W. Dryden | |
|---|---|
Charles Dryden (seated) aboard USS San Antonio (May 2006) | |
| Nickname(s) | "A-TRAIN" |
| Born | September 16, 1920 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 2008 (aged 87) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame inductee |
| Spouse(s) | Marymal Morgan Dryden |
| Children | Charles a.k.a. Thumper Dryden, Keith Dryden, Eric Dryden, George Bingham, Kenneth Bingham, Tony Bingham, Cornelia-Rose White |
Charles Walter Dryden (September 16, 1920 – June 24, 2008) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and one of the original combat fighter pilots with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen. Among the United States' first eight African American combat fighter pilots, Dryden is notable as a member of the Tuskegee Advance Flying School (TAFS)'s Class Number SE-42-C, the program's 2nd-ever aviation cadet program.
Dryden was one of the first African American U.S. military pilots to engage in aerial combat against an enemy combatant, sharing this honor with 99th Fighter Squadron pilots Sidney P. Brooks, Willie Ashley, Lee Rayford, Leon C. Roberts and Spann Watson.
He is the author of the autobiography, A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman.