Decorated Tuskegee airman passes at age 95

Floyd Carter Jr., a true American hero, has died at the age of 95. The former Tuskegee airman passed last Thursday, March 10. He was a decorated airman who served in three wars, and also spent 27 years with the New York Police Dept. as a detective. In 2007, Carter received the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal from President George Bush. “We mourn the loss od a true American hero,” said a tweet from the 47th Precinct, which serves the Bronx. “Our community and nation has lost a giant.” When Carter was with the U.S. Air Force, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In addition to serving during World War II, Carter flew during the Korean and Vietnam wars and led the first squadron of supply-laden planes into Berlin during the famed Cold War airlift of 1948-49, according to the New York Daily News. During the Tet Offensive, the skilled pilot flew U.S. troops and supplies into South Vietnam. His NYPD duties included work as a bodyguard for visiting heads of state, and Carter spent time with Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Soviet head Nikita Khrushchev, recalled his son Floyd Jr. He earned a half-dozen citations for his outstanding police work, and survived a number of shootouts with armed bandits. “He’s got a little history,” Floyd Jr. said. “We were blessed, we sure were. He went from what I call the outhouse to the fine house. The Lord blessed him.”