I had the pleasure of visiting the Tuskeegee Airman National Historic Site recently. (GC954WT) Of course, I heard of them before, but I didn't know a lot of details. They were the preferred bomber escort for the southern Europe and North African theaters. In one of those standard museum movies, bomber crews were interviewed. They all said they breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the red-tailed mustangs appear next to them in the air.
All squadrons use distinctive markings to identify one another in the air. Early in the formation of the 332nd when they were short on supplies like paint, one of them decided to put the extra red paint they had on the tail of their planes. That's all it took. They became the Red Tails. Eventually, the nose and wing tips of their planes were also painted red. The movie of that name is about as accurate as most historically based Hollywood movies. Can't let the truth get in the way of storytelling! If you ever find yourself in Alabama, check out the historic site for the real story. No combat veteran has ever had it easy. Because of the color of their skin, these men had to fight in order to be allowed to fight.
When I made the obligatory walk through the gift shop at the end of the museum, a cute little duckie dressed as a Tuskegee Airman caught my eye for a cache. I'm not sure a cute duck is really the best way to call attention to these brave men, but it is at least a reason to talk about them. Besides, your journey to find that duck will be like their journey to become pilots. It will not be easy. One approach requires crossing water, the other, thrashing through thorns. Like the government bureaucrats that stood in the way of the Airman, assorted beasts will block your path to the cache. At the very least, the beavers, deer, and cats (LOTS of cats) will peer at you through the reeds, thinking evil things about you because you're disturbing their lounging. When you finally arrive at the right spot, again, like the brave Tuskegee Airman, you will need to operate your stick properly.
Now, even before you get the chance to hold your stick, you will need a different tool and skills to find where the duck is flying high. Those who prefer fruit to robots (aka iPhone users) will need to install the free app NFC Tools to get some information about where to find the duck. (Tap Read. Hold near tag. Scroll to bottom of information to find Text entry.)
Have a fun journey! Be safe! Spare some kind thoughts for all veterans, but for this moment give the Tuskeegee Airmen an extra thought, both for what they experienced in combat and, for many, when they came home.
This cache was somewhat of a team effort. Thanks to gsmx2 for the NFC tag and jokeerus for the container!