Red Tails' actors and Tuskegee Airmen

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Red Tails' actors and Tuskegee Airmen

Portraits of 'Red Tails' actors and the men the Tuskegee Airmen they portray in new film.

George Lucas movie "Red Tails" tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen - the all-black squad charged with escorting bombers during World War II. The film stars Terrence Howard as fictional Col. A.J. Bullard, under whose guidance the Tuskegee training program joins the war effort. The story is inspired by the events of the real men who fought in the skies.

Lt. Col. Floyd Carter Jr. joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 and the Tuskegee program a few years later. He is the first African-American to serve as commander of a jet squadron.

Cuba Gooding Jr., who had previously starred in another movie about this group of men called "The Tuskegee Airmen" on HBO, stars as Maj. Emanuelle Stance.

Charles Mcgee flew fighter aircraft combat tours in three major military conflicts - World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Mcgee served 30 years in active duty, and with 6,100 hours of combat time, he held the highest three-war total of combat missions in U.S. Air Force history. He was a consultant to the film.

R&B star Ne-Yo plays pilot Andrew "Smoky" Salem.

Many of the Tuskegee Airmen learned from Roscoe Draper. Draper was a civilian instructor who trained cadets from 1942 to 1945.

Actor Tristan Wilds ("The Wire," "90210") plays Ray "Junior" Gannon.

Capt. Roscoe Brown graduated from the Tuskegee Flight School in 1944. He and other Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service in 2007.

Actor Nate Parker plays airman Marty "Easy" Julian.

2nd Lt. Eugene Richardson earned his pilot wings in the Tuskegee program in March 1945, a few months before the end of missions over Europe. Nearly 1,000 African Americans earned their pilot's wings in the program between 1942 and 1946. They flew more than 15,000 sorties over North Africa and Europe during World War II.

Actor Elijah Kelley, from Georgia, plays pilot Samuel "Suicide" George.

Despite teaching himself to fly a plane, Sgt. Shade Lee was not a pilot in the program. Lee was responsible for repairing and ensuring that all training aircraft were in top condition.

Actor David Oyelowo, who starred in last year's hit "The Help," plays fighter pilot Joe "Lightning" Little.

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George Lucas movie "Red Tails" tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen - the all-black squad charged with escorting bombers during World War II. The film stars Terrence Howard as fictional Col. A.J. Bullard, under whose guidance the Tuskegee training program joins the war effort. The story is inspired by the events of the real men who fought in the skies.

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