Commemorative Air Force project celebrating Tuskeegee Airmen appears as part of Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” weekend

The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Red Tail Squadron, America’s tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, brings their RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit to Oak Ridge this week as part of the Secret City Festival’s “Celebrate Our Heroes” event. The exhibit is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through Saturday at 115 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge in front of Maxed Out Gym.

The RISE ABOVE Traveling Exhibit is a fully functional mobile movie theater housed in a climate controlled 53-foot semi trailer that is deployed to events around the country. This immersive experience inspires and educates audiences about the Tuskegee Airmen, our country’s first black military pilots and their support personnel, and the obstacles they had to overcome to serve their country during World War II. Because of its dynamic 160-degree panoramic screen, the film creates the feeling of being in the cockpit soaring above the clouds in the P-51C Mustang—the signature aircraft of the Tuskegee Airmen. View a preview at www.redtail.org/traveling-exhibit/.

More than half a million people in 36 states have experienced a compelling and inspirational piece of American history delivered by this unique educational outreach vehicle since the program launched in 2011, a press release said. Each year, the CAF Red Tail Squadron embarks on a nine-month cross-country tour that includes appearances at air shows, schools, museums, and community events. The group’s six guiding principles—Aim High, Believe In Yourself, Use Your Brain, Be Ready To Go, Never Quit, and Expect to Win—serve as the foundation for their outreach programs and are based on the experiences and successes of the Tuskegee Airmen. [Read more…]