Clarence C. Jamison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Clarence Clifford Jamison February 25, 1918 |
| Died | March 6, 2014(2014-03-06) (aged 96) Cleveland, Ohio, US |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery, Section 60, Site 10604 |
| Other names | "Jamie" |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1941–1963 |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen |
Clarence Clifford “Jamie” Jamison (February 25, 1918 – March 6, 2014) was aU.S. Army Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot with the332nd Fighter Group's99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the all-African AmericanTuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or “Schwarze Vogelmenschen” ("Black Birdmen") among enemy German pilots.[1]
He was one of the first eight African American combat fighter pilots.[1][2][3]
Jamison and Lt.Allen G. Lane became the first African American flying instructors at Tuskegee Army Air Field's P-40 transitional school.[4][5]
Jamison was born on February 25, 1918, inLittle Rock, Arkansas.[3] Jamison's siblings included older brothers Sterling Jamison and Thurston Jamison, and younger siblings Rae Jamison, Alvin Jamison, and Richard Jamison.[3]
In 1923, Richard Sr. and Sallie moved five-year old Clarence and their oldest children toCleveland, Ohio, leaving Clarence's grandparents, Edward Stewart and Callie Stewart, and the Clarence's younger siblings back inLittle Rock, Arkansas. In 1924, the entire family reunited inLittle Rock, Arkansas.[3]
Jamison attendedLittle Rock, Arkansas's Bolton Elementary School andLittle Rock Central High School.[3] After graduating from Central, Jamison attended theUniversity of Chicago where he majored in pre-medicine and medical bacteriology, lived with an uncle in Chicago, and worked a part-time job as a bookkeeping machine operator.[6][7] While at Chicago, Jamison pledgedKappa Alpha Psi fraternity's Iota chapter.[3]
Jamison was married to Phyllis L. Piersawl Jamison for 53 years until her death.[6] They had two children: daughter Michal Jamison Offutt and son Clarence C. Jamison Jr.[6] They had four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.[6]
Interested in becoming a pilot, Jamison applied for the federal government-sponsored Civilian Pilot Training Program.[3] In 1940, Jamison earned his civilian pilot's license, accumulating 72 hours of ground training and 50 hours of flight training.[6] He soon applied for the U.S. Army Air Force's Tuskegee Army Air Field training program. Never receiving a response, Jamison wrote First LadyEleanor Roosevelt, a staunch proponent of Tuskegee's program. Five weeks later, Jamison was accepted as a Tuskegee Army Air Field training program cadet, enlisting August 21, 1941.[3]
On April 29, 1942, Jamison graduated from the Tuskegee Advance Flying School (TAFS)'s Class Number SE-42-D - Single Engine Section. The U.S. Army Air Corps assigned Jamison to the 332nd Fighter Group's99th Fighter Squadron.[3][2]
Jamison flew 67 combat missions inWorld War II'sEuropean Theater including North Africa andItaly.[8] In January 1944, Jamison led his squadron on a patrol mission where it encountered a massive formation of enemy German fighter planes attacking Allied ground positions. Outnumbered two-to-one, Jamison's squadron took the enemy head-on, shooting down five enemy aircraft.[9]
AfterWorld War II, Jamison continued to serve in the newly desegregatedU.S. Air Force, including assignments as an accounting and finance officer.[6] After 22 years in theU.S. Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force, Jamison retired in 1963 with the rank ofLt. Colonel.[3]
Jamison worked for the Social Security Administration, retiring after 23 years there.[3]
Jamison's life is described in the book, "Memories from Tuskegee: The Life Story of Lieutenant Colonel Clarence C. Jamison as told to James Christ."[3]
Jamison died on March 6, 2014, inCleveland, Ohio.[3][6][9] He was interred atArlington National Cemetery, Section 60, Site 10604.
