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Spouse's Tea serves up warmth, smiles during Tuskegee Airmen convention

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Steve Lewis
  • 459th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO, Texas --  In a lively restaurant in the Grand Hyatt Hotel here, spouses and family members of the historic Tuskegee Airman meet to share stories over a cup of warm tea. The atmosphere of the room is as inviting as the tea being sipped over conversation.

As the event unfolds, spouses and other family members announce where they live and the names of the Tuskegee Airman they are related to. New friendships are forged and neighbors are welcomed in the meeting that lasts through the afternoon.

The 5th annual Spouse's Tea was held here July 29 in conjunction with the 2010 Tuskegee Airmen Incorporated national convention. The afternoon event served as a forum for the wives and relatives to network and exchange information while TAI convention meetings were taking place in the floors above.

Dr. Nancy Leftenant-Colon, the first woman to serve as president of the TAI from 1989 to 1991, organized the Spouse's Tea in 2005 at a convention in Orlando, Fla.

"For many years I thought about the women who supported their husbands. They wouldn't have gotten as far as they did if it wasn't for the support they had from their wives. I always felt that something should be done to recognize these women," said Dr. Leftenant-Colon. "And that was the beginning of the Spouse's Tea."

Dr. Leftenant-Colon was among the first black nurses to become a member of the Army Nurse Corps during the war. She went on to join the Air Force in 1952 and provided patient care all over the world through 1965.

Taking the responsibility of coordinating the Spouse's Tea from Dr. Leftenant-Colon, Jennifer Myers, the national historian for the TAI and retired Air Force technical sergeant, has been now leading the Spouse's Tea for the past three years.

"This is a really nice way to spend the afternoon at a high tea with close friends and enjoying each other's company," said Ms. Myers. "It feels great to be in the presence of a sisterhood."

Ms. Myers became interested in the TAI after listening to one of the Airman at an African-American history convention while serving on active-duty in 1995. She eventually became part of a local TAI chapter and got involved in several of their activities before becoming a national historian.

"Every year that we'll have the Spouse's Tea, things will get better and better. I plan to do different things in the future to make the afternoon even more comfortable, cozy and intimate," she said.

Erma Bonner-Platte, the wife of Tuskegee Airman, Capt. Claude R. Platte (ret.), and corresponding secretary of the Dallas, Texas, chapter of the TAI, shared the importance of passing along the accomplishments of the Airmen between her sips of tea throughout the afternoon.

"Despite the segregation and what was happening in America during the war, the Airmen did what they could because they loved their country so much. It's important to tell our children about that."

Ms. Bonner-Platt currently travels the country with her husband to attend the annual TAI conventions, pass out college scholarships and help tell the Airmen's story. Capt. Platte had served as a primary flight instructor to over 300 black pilots during WWII. His trainees went on to fly PT-13s, PT-17s and PT-19s in many combat missions all over the world.

The afternoon winded down as the spouses and family members of the Tuskegee Airmen shared smiles and laughter while being entertained by live musical performances. Vocalist, Deanna Mitchell, of the National Park Service, sang a rendition of George Gershwin's "Summertime," at the end of the gathering.

The warm lyrics, appropriate for the season and occasion filled the room.
"One of these mornings, you're going to rise up singing then you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky," sang Ms. Mitchell.

The spouse's of the Tuskegee Airmen played a major role in helping to spread their husband's wings over the skies both during war and in peace. And the Spouse's Tea served was a significant event in the overall Tuskegee Airmen convention, which recognizes those who gave their lives in order to protect the freedom of U.S. citizens.