OCC to host Tuskegee fliers

Jim Carnett

The famed Tuskegee Airmen of World War II will be honored during a

special tribute luncheon at Orange Coast College on March 18.

The luncheon will begin at noon at the Captain’s Table. Proceeds

will be used to establish a scholarship for OCC aviation students in

the name of the Tuskegee Airmen. Proceeds will also support the

Aviation Explorers, a program for youngsters at Compton Airport.

Individual luncheon tickets are 50. Organizations may purchase

tables, for six or eight, from $600 to $5,000. For information about

individual tickets or tables, contact OCC’s Foundation at (714)

432-5707.

The Tuskegee Airmen were dedicated and determined young black men

who enlisted in the military during World War II to become America’s

first black military airmen. They trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field

in Tuskegee, Ala., and served their country with distinction.

A luncheon for the members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the

Tuskegee Airmen Inc. was held at OCC last year. This year’s luncheon

will include members from the L.A. chapter and other chapters.

Special honored guest will be Lt. Col. Lee Archer, who flew 169

combat missions for the Tuskegee Airmen over Europe from 1943 to

1945. A member of the 332nd Fighter Group, Archer shot down five

enemy fighters. He brought down a German ME-262 jet fighter while

flying a P-51 Mustang. The New Rochelle, N.Y., resident received the

Distinguished Flying Cross and 12 air medals.

A total of 450 pilots who trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field

served overseas in either the 99th Fighter Squadron or 332nd Fighter

Group. The 99th flew combat missions in North Africa, Sicily and

Italy. Members of the squadron were later transferred to the 332nd

Fighter Group of the 15th Strategic Air Force. The 332nd conducted

long-range, heavy-bomber escort missions over Germany.

The 99th received two Presidential Unit Citations for outstanding

tactical air support and aerial combat. The 332nd received the

Presidential Unit Citation for its longest bomber escort mission to

Berlin, conducted in March of 1945. The fighters destroyed three

German fighters during that mission, and damaged five additional

planes. The 332nd did not lose a single bomber during the mission.

Culinary team wins second straight regional

OCC’s culinary arts team captured its second successive Western

Region Student Hot Food Competition championship Feb. 19 in

Sacramento.

The event was sponsored by the American Culinary Federation.

OCC’s squad will advance to the national culinary finals,

scheduled for July 30 through Aug. 3, at the Marriott Rivercenter

Hotel in San Antonio. Orange Coast College finished second in the

national competition last year in Orlando.

Members of OCC’s team include Lauren De Rouen and Joshua Rodriguez

of Huntington Beach, Thomas Sanborn of Corona del Mar, Ashleigh Lewis

of Riverside, and Brian Hathenbruck of Anaheim.

Transfer center sponsors four-year visits

OCC’s Transfer Center will host tours this spring to eight major

Southern California university campuses. The tours are designed for

OCC students who are exploring transfer options.

Orange Coast College is one of the nation’s leaders in

transferring students to four-year colleges and universities. Spring

tours are scheduled for: Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona

(March 11), UC San Diego and San Diego State University (April 8),

Cal State Long Beach (April 15), UC Irvine (April 16), the University

of Southern California (April 22), and UCLA (April 29).

Transportation is free. For information, phone (714) 432-5894.

* JIM CARNETT is senior director

of community relations at

Orange Coast College. He writes

the biweekly On Campus at

OCC Column. Reach him at [email protected] or

by calling (714) 432-5725.