Willie Ashley
Willie Ashley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Willie Lee Ashley Jr. May 23, 1921 |
| Died | February 9, 1984 (aged 62) Washington, D.C., US |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Alma mater | University of Omaha, Catholic University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1942–1981 |
Willie Lee Ashley Jr. (May 23, 1921 – February 9, 1984) was a U.S. Army Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
Ashley was the first African American U.S. military pilot to engage in aerial combat against an enemy combatant, sharing this honor with 99th Fighter Squadron pilots Sidney P. Brooks, Charles Dryden (Tuskegee Airman), Lee Rayford, Leon C. Roberts and Spann Watson who all engaged against enemy German fighter aircraft on June 9, 1943.