William Bartley (pilot)

Captain William Bartley (May 16, 1916 – January 28, 2011) was an American military pilot who served with the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. He graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in 1943, was given the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, and was placed with the 332nd Fighter Group and the 99th Fighter Squadron.^[1][2]

Captain William Bartley
William Roscoe Bartley
Birth name	William Roscoe Bartley
Nickname(s)	Will
Born	(1916-05-16)May 16, 1916 Jacksonville, FL
Died	January 28, 2011(2011-01-28) (aged 94) Jacksonville, FL
Buried	Mill Creek Road Cemetery Eureka, Marion County, Florida, USA
Branch	United States Army Air Force
Years of service	1942-1950
Rank	Captain
Unit	332nd Fighter Group
Awards	Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Tuskegee Airmen

Military service

The Tuskegee Airmen's aircraft had distinctive markings that led to the name, "Red Tails."^{[N 1]}

Bartley graduated as a pilot from Tuskegee in 1943. He was given the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and placed with the 332nd Fighter Group and the 99th Fighter Squadron.

After his service in World War II he joined the Air Force Reserve as a captain in 1946.

After the war

He later worked in real estate. In the 1960s he became the business manager of Edward Waters College. In the 1970s he opened his own real estate office (Bartley Real Estate.^[4]

Awards

• Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006^[5]

Education

• Old Stanton High School, Class of 1935
• School of Business Administration at Tuskegee Institute in 1939
• Tuskegee University Class of 1943^[4]

See also

• Executive Order 9981
• List of Tuskegee Airmen
• Military history of African Americans