Last Monday, I went to see Tuskegee Airman Bob Friend to show him the painting that I had just completed of his P-51 Mustang that he flew as one of the famed "Red Tails". He loved the painting! Bob flew 142 combat missions, quite a few of them in this Mustang. We are repainting the Palm Springs Air Museum's P-51 as Bob's aircraft. It will be unveiled at the Museum's Gala on Feb. 10th. Can you believe that Bob is 91!

Stan Stokes and the Tuskegee Airmen

Through my art, I have been blessed to have a long term relationship with the magnificent men known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Half of this group was the 332nd Fighter Group known as the "Red Tails". The other half was the 477th Composite Group that were flying B-25s and P-47s.

At present, I am creating my 80th painting honoring the Airmen and their heroic exploits. I have taken 2 of these paintings and have produced limited edition prints from them. In the last year, I drove over 18,000 miles taking the prints to the individual Airmen and spent hours with them guiding them through signing the prints.

In the end, 20 Tuskegee Airmen signed each of the prints!

I will be introducing you to these great men and sharing their exploits with you.