Q: I read that Southwest Airlines donated airfare for the Atlanta Homeward Choir to go sing at the White House. Did that ever occur?
—Mary Kay Kreisle, Atlanta
A: Southwest Airlines provided round-trip flights to the choir to fly to Washington, where the group performed on Dec. 21.
The Atlanta Homeward Choir, which is comprised of homeless men at the Central Night Shelter, sang at the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.
More than $26,000 also was raised to help cover expenses for the group, which is directed by Donal Noonan, the head of the music ministry at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta.
The choir stayed at The Hamilton, a Crowne Plaza hotel in Washington, and received free rides from Baron Tours, The Washington Post reported.
“God is good,” Noonan told the AJC earlier this month. “It’s insane what community can do when community comes together.”
Photos of the choir’s trip can be viewed at www.atlantahomewardchoir.org.
Q: An article about the Tuskegee pilots stated that they flew P-40 fighters during World War II. Did they also fly P-51 Mustangs? I heard there was a group of them.
—Stanley Watson, Decatur
A: The Tuskegee Airmen formed units that flew a variety of fighter aircraft during World War II, including P-39s, P-40s, P-47s and P-51s.
The 332nd Fighter Group, flying P-51s with tails painted red, gained fame escorting bombers over occupied countries and Germany.
The unit was nicknamed “Red Tails” and was depicted in the 2012 movie of the same name.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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