Tuskegee Airman who flew 142 WWII combat missions dies at 99

The Associated Press

5 years ago

Actress Loni Anderson receives the Millie Taylor award from Lt. Col. Bob Friend, the oldest liv ... — Actress Loni Anderson receives the Millie Taylor award from Lt. Col. Bob Friend, the oldest living Tuskegee Airman, during the 2nd Annual Heroes Helping Heroes Benefit Concert at The House of Blues on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP)

FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2013 file photo, actress Pauley Perrette, right, and Lt. Col. Bob Friend, a Tuskegee Airman, stand onstage during the 2nd Annual Heroes Helping Heroes Benefit Concert at The House of Blues in Los Angeles. World War II pilot Friend, one of the last original members of the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen, has died at the age of 99. Friend’s daughter, Karen Friend Crumlich, told The Desert Sun her father died Friday, June 21, 2019, at a Southern California hospital. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File)

FILE – In this Sept. 11, 2013 file photo, actress Loni Anderson, left, receives the Millie Taylor award from Lt. Col. Bob Friend, a Tuskegee Airman, during the 2nd Annual Heroes Helping Heroes Benefit Concert at The House of Blues, in Los Angeles. World War II pilot Friend, one of the last original members of the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen, has died at the age of 99. Friend’s daughter, Karen Friend Crumlich, told The Desert Sun her father died Friday, June 21, 2019, at a Southern California hospital. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File)

LONG BEACH, Calif. — World War II pilot Robert Friend, one of the last original members of the famed all-black Tuskegee Airmen, has died at the age of 99.

Friend’s daughter, Karen Friend Crumlich, told The Desert Sun her father died Friday at a Southern California hospital.

Born in South Carolina on 1920’s leap day, Friend flew 142 combat missions in World War II as part of the elite group of fighter pilots trained at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. The program was created after the NAACP began challenging policies barring black people from flying military aircraft.

Friend’s 28-year Air Force career included service in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also worked on space launch vehicles and served as foreign technology program director before retiring as a lieutenant colonel and forming his own aerospace company.