I
have wondered, for a long time, about the high number of African-Americans who
rushed to join the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Growing up in the
1920s and the 1930s must have been very difficult with the overt racism
throughout the country. Yet, even with that, they joined in large numbers.
Robert
Friend, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, had an answer for that when he
was asked about it. He said, “Because I’m an American and it was the right thing
to do.”
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| Robert Friend, centered. Photo copyright by Auturo Interian |
Such
an attitude about the United States is something rare these days with various
groups pulling and pushing agendas that are more divisive than uniting.
Everyone seems to have found a reason to condemn the United States. Except
Robert Friend.
Robert
Friend, who died June 21, was one of the last Tuskegee Airman, a group of
African-American, no, make that American, fighter and bomber pilots, who
displayed their devotion to the Unites States with their heroism during the Second
World War. Their hope, when they returned, would be a greater acceptance of who
they were before they left to fight. Some of that acceptance came, but only
years later… but we still seem to have failed in the greater vision that men
like Friend held for the country.
Rather
than recap his accomplishments, something that I did not all that long ago, I
will direct those of you who are interested in the background of this fantastic
man to read it here:
His
importance to us in the UFO community was his position as the one time chief of
Project Blue Book. After a number of other officers, all of whom were hostile
to the idea of alien visitation, and who operated more as caretakers than
investigators, Robert Friend was given the assignment. He attempted to reorganize
the project and move it into something more than it was. He eventually left
that assignment and retired from the Air Force.
After
the movie Red Tails was made about seven years ago, Friend found himself
asked to speak to many groups about his experiences during the war. It was something
he enjoyed, even though he was in his 90s. His daughter, Karen Friend Crumlich,
who cared from him after his wife died, drove him to the speaking engagements.
She too, recognized the greatness in her father.
Friend
was a frequent visitor to the Palm Springs Air Museum, California, and was one
of those who assisted in restoring a P-51 Mustang like those flown by the
Tuskegee Airman. The aircraft at the museum was painted in the colors, and with
the registration numbers of the plane Friend had flown.
I
never met him in person, only speaking to him on the telephone, and then
rarely. Unlike some, he was always courteous and tried to give complete answers
to my questions. Although he had been the man in charge of Blue Book at one
time, when the Air Force policy was to debunk and dismiss UFO reports, he
seemed to have believed there was something more to them than delusion,
illusion, misidentification and hoax. To me he hinted, and I stress that word,
that there was more to Roswell than the remains of a weather balloon.
Robert
Friend was the epitome of an American soldier and an American citizen. For
those who would like to learn more about Robert Friend take a look at the
following articles:
About
the last thing that can be said about him is that we have lost a true American
hero.
Robert
Friend, dead at 99.
7 comments:
A good, long, honorable life, not cut short but prolonged as an example for the rest of us.
RR
Met him in person once. Only talked WWII. Didn’t know he was with Blue Book. Was a great guy and a real hero.
Truly a member of The Greatest Generation.
Unlike most who I was obliged to salute without much respect, I salute you Lt. Col. Friend with the utmost deserved respect. R.I.P., Army Corpsman '67 to '70.
Listened to an interview he did. He expressed interest in ufos and the need for more study. He seemed to feel the military knew little, and said he thought Roswell was a broken arrow. That doesn't seem to make sense, and if it was , by the last usaf report in the 90 s they surely would have admitted it. Great man . Wish we knew more about his favorite cases
Americans and the world are fortunate that he and the rest of the TA didn't take a knee.
Mr. Randle,
Do you know anything about the Frances Swan story? In the famous 1974 Robert Emenegger UFO documentary, Friend appears to have really misstated what happened.
Kevin C.
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