The tribute honors African American pilots who broke barriers during World War II, at a time when the military was still segregated.
SAN ANTONIO — A stretch of Iowa Street on San Antonio’s East Side will soon carry a new name honoring a group of trailblazers who reshaped U.S. military history.
City Council on Thursday approved an ordinance designating Iowa Street between South Cherry and South Palmetto streets as Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Way, memorializing the Tuskegee Airmen — skilled Black pilots, crew members and support personnel who served with distinction during World War II while facing segregation at home.
The Tuskegee Airmen trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama and flew more than 15,000 combat missions across Europe and North Africa, protecting bombers, supporting ground forces and carrying out dangerous operations with precision. Many lost their lives in the line of duty. Their service helped secure victory in one of the most significant conflicts in world history and laid groundwork for the eventual integration of the U.S. military.
“Everything they thought African Americans couldn’t do, we could show them we can do it and we can do it better,” said Lt. Col. Rick Sinkfield (Ret.), president of the San Antonio Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.
Sinkfield, who began researching the group’s local ties more than two decades ago, said their story was not widely known when he started in 2000.
“I knew something about them, but I didn’t know the full story,” Sinkfield said. “It’s amazing the things they did and why they did it.”
He said the airmen’s determination to excel came despite being told they were inferior and facing separate training systems for African Americans — even among support crews like mechanics, armament specialists and communications personnel.
“That became a problem. It was a duplication of effort to get planes in the air,” Sinkfield said. “Why can’t we do everything together?”
Sinkfield has helped identify 24 Tuskegee Airmen who lived in San Antonio, including seven pilots, many of whom resided in and around the Denver Heights neighborhood. He also said researchers have now identified 53 pilots from Texas overall.
“They were neighbors of some of the original airmen that were from San Antonio,” Sinkfield said, when interviewing present members of the Denver Heights community. “Most of [the Tuskegee Airmen], their house is still there. Their families are still there.”
Those connections made Iowa Street, just south of the Alamodome and long a pathway between the East Side and downtown, the ideal place for a permanent memorial.
“It doesn’t happen if you just sit there and watch it,” Sinkfield said. “You’ve gotta do something.”
The designation also highlights what many Tuskegee Airmen accomplished after returning home. Sinkfield said many went on to pursue higher education and excel as doctors, lawyers, teachers and business owners.
Among them was Warren Eusan, a San Antonio High School graduate who became a simulator trainer during the war and later returned home to teach English and math. Another was Thomas Ellis, a noncommissioned officer who kept critical flight records in Italy and later formed a jazz group in San Antonio.
“All these guys have beautiful stories,” Sinkfield said.
Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, who filed the original council consideration request in April, said the idea was inspired by similar memorial street designations in other cities and a renewed push to ensure the Tuskegee Airmen’s history remains visible.
He said there was also local momentum earlier this year after Tuskegee Airmen training materials were briefly removed from Air Force curriculum before being reinstated.
“There was still very much interest in memorializing the Tuskegee Airmen and making sure that their history remained a part of the fabric of our city forever,” McKee-Rodriguez said.
McKee-Rodriguez called the East Side a fitting place for the tribute, given its deep civil rights roots and San Antonio’s military identity.
“San Antonio has such a deep civil rights history, especially on the East Side, and we’re also Military City USA,” he said. “This memorial designation is a convergence of those two pillars of our community.”
The San Antonio Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc., founded in 1996, continues to preserve that legacy while motivating young people to pursue aviation and educating the public about the airmen’s impact through school visits, community programs and outreach events. The group encourages anyone interested in learning more to contact the chapter through its website, which also features stories of local Tuskegee Airmen.
Their legacy also lives on at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, where the 99th Flying Training Squadron carries forward the traditions of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Street signs for Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Way are expected to be installed by February. A dedication ceremony is planned for Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day, observed on the fourth Thursday in March. The memorial designation will not require any address changes for residents or businesses along the street.
Sinkfield said the memorial is about ensuring future generations never forget.
“This is as near as you can get to talk to them,” he said. “Because they’re just not around anymore. We miss them, we really do.”