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263:– African Americans were only accepted as steward's mates, not as officers – but once again the authorities assumed he was white. Holmes later admitted he knew about the Navy's policy, "but they didn't ask me and I didn't tell them". By the time his superiors discovered their mistake, it would have been embarrassing to admit it, so they did nothing. He continued to work, eat and sleep alongside white officers, unlike other African-American servicemen, who were segregated. He successfully completed flight instructor training at
243:. After training, he was assigned to the New York traffic control center, becoming the first African-American air traffic controller. He was very light skinned, and his superiors were unaware of his African-American heritage until he had to fill out a questionnaire. He did well, and Robert L. Johnston, the chief controller at the center, told Holmes he had recommended him for promotion. However, it never came. Holmes thought for 15 years that Johnston had lied to him, but in 1957 learned that higher ups had rejected him.
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was offering reserve commissions to those with a pilot's license and 125 hours of flying time to become flight instructors or deliver aircraft. Despite admitting that he only had 90 hours in the air, he was accepted. He was sworn in on 28 September, with his commission dated 14 September. The Navy
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and Naval Air
Station New Orleans, and was made a Naval Aviator on 30 June 1943. However, while his classmates became flight instructors, he was given a desk job in
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339:(1926–1950), the second African-American Navy aviator and the first African American in the U.S. Navy to be trained as an aviator and serve in combat
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After the end of the war, he returned to civilian life in 1946. He returned to work as a traffic controller at the New York center. He also attended
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Bored, he requested a transfer to become a flight instructor or aircraft delivery pilot. In April 1944, he was transferred to
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the following year with a master's degree in chemistry. He taught chemistry (a subject he did not like) for three years at
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In the fall of 1943, the Navy announced that all ensigns with a date of rank of 1 October or earlier would be promoted to
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in 1955. He passed the New York State bar and initially opened a part-time practice, but went on to work at the
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Wanting to become a pilot, he won a scholarship and enrolled in the US government's
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Later that year, he applied to become an air traffic controller for the
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trainer aircraft. In June, he was assigned to Air Ferry
Squadron 3 on
286:. Holmes, however, had to pass a flight check before being promoted.
514:"African Americans long fought for the right to serve their country"
221:. In 1940, he went to work for the Erie Lighting Company in
372:"Oscar Holmes: He Broke Three Color Barriers, but Few Knew"
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American Navy aviator, air traffic controller (1916–2001)
232:. He obtained his private pilot's license by 1941.
173:(31 January 1916 – 5 November 2001) was an American
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417:Schneller, Robert J. Jr. (January–February 1998).
185:, the first African-American in each position.
246:In August 1942, with the United States now in
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595:United States Navy pilots of World War II
575:Federal Aviation Administration personnel
419:"Oscar Holmes: A Place in Naval Aviation"
512:Tousignant, Marylou (12 February 2018).
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600:West Virginia State University alumni
452:"Oscar Wayman Holmes Jr. (1916–2001)"
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585:People from Dunbar, West Virginia
471:Hegranes, Emily (February 2021).
450:Fikes, Robert (6 December 2015).
269:Naval Air Station Corpus Christi
237:Civil Aeronautics Administration
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379:Federal Aviation Administration
318:Federal Aviation Administration
230:Civilian Pilot Training Program
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590:United States Naval Aviators
580:Ohio State University alumni
323:Oscar Wayman Holmes died in
203:West Virginia State College
150:West Virginia State College
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570:Claflin University faculty
565:Brooklyn Law School alumni
273:Naval Air Station Glenview
219:Orangeburg, South Carolina
473:"Segregation in the Navy"
225:, as a chemical analyst.
215:historically black school
199:Charleston, West Virginia
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291:Naval Air Station Dallas
205:in 1936 with a B.S. and
560:Air traffic controllers
493:"Oscar Holmes Obituary"
325:Mitchellville, Maryland
78:Mitchellville, Maryland
193:Holmes graduated from
293:, where he delivered
207:Ohio State University
155:Ohio State University
123:Years of service
61:Dunbar, West Virginia
518:The Washington Post
426:Naval Aviation News
306:Brooklyn Law School
259:was, at that time,
171:Oscar Wayman Holmes
160:Brooklyn Law School
43:Oscar Wayman Holmes
501:. 2 December 2001.
430:United States Navy
265:Colgate University
256:United States Navy
252:The New York Times
223:Erie, Pennsylvania
195:Garnet High School
117:United States Navy
284:lieutenant (j.g.)
250:, Holmes read in
183:flight controller
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521:. Retrieved
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248:World War II
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135:World War II
131:Battles/wars
73:(2001-11-05)
25:Oscar Holmes
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550:2001 deaths
545:1916 births
299:Mare Island
201:, in 1932,
539:Categories
498:Legacy.com
344:References
142:Alma mater
85:Allegiance
54:1916-01-31
40:Birth name
295:T-6 Texan
277:Manhattan
254:that the
189:Biography
126:1942–1946
331:See also
241:telegram
103:Service/
523:7 April
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105:branch
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422:(PDF)
375:(PDF)
314:LL.M.
310:LL.B.
525:2023
213:, a
80:, US
68:Died
63:, US
48:Born
217:in
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52:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
