Eugene Bullard
Eugene Jacques Bullard | |
|---|---|
Bullard in his uniform as a French Army caporal | |
| Nickname(s) | French: l'Hirondelle noire de la mort, lit. 'Black Swallow of Death' |
| Born | October 9, 1895 Columbus, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | October 12, 1961 (aged 66) New York City, U.S. |
| Buried | 40°45′6″N 73°47′58″W / 40.75167°N 73.79944°W |
| Allegiance | French Third Republic |
| Branch | Foreign Legion French Air Service French Resistance |
| Years of service | 1914–1919, 1940 |
| Unit | 170th French Infantry Regiment 51e Régiment d'Infanterie |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
|
Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first African-American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few black combat pilots during World War I, along with William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Domenico Mondelli from Italy, and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire. Also a boxer and a jazz musician, he was called "L'Hirondelle noire" in French (literally "Black Swallow").
All Blood Runs Red, a biography of Bullard by Phil Keith and Tom Clavin, was published in 2019 by Hanover Square Press.