Robert Friend (pilot)

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Jones Friend (February 29, 1920 – June 21, 2019) was a Tuskegee airman during World War II and led the USAF's Project Blue Book from 1958 to 1963.[3][4] He also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He had a 28 year military career.

Lieutenant Colonel

Robert Friend
Birth nameRobert Jones Friend
Nickname(s)Bob
Born(1920-02-29)February 29, 1920
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 2019(2019-06-21) (aged 99)[1]
Long Beach, California, U.S.[2]
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Force
Years of service1943-1971
RankLieutenant Colonel
Unit332nd Fighter Group
Awards
Spouse(s)
  • Doris “Bunny” Goodwin (divorced)
  • Kathryn Ann Holland (divorced)
Anna Rice
​
​
(m. 1959; died 2010)​
Children8

Early life and education

Friend was born in Columbia, South Carolina on February 29, 1920. From an early age, he loved airplanes and wanted to sign up to fly for the army, but he was turned away because he was black. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and studied aviation.[1]

Military career

During World War II, Friend had 142 combat missions.[5] After WWII began the army began a segregated program for black pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama. Friend immediately signed up and completed training. The U.S. Army Air Corps commissioned him as an officer in the 332nd Fighter Group. He was sent to Africa and later Europe.[1]

After World War II, Friend stayed in the service and eventually served in the Korean and Vietnam War. He was in the military for a total of 28 years. He was a graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology.[2]

Awards

Air Force study on UFOs

Friend said he believed in the possibility of life in Extraterrestrial life in the universe. Friend led the Air Force study on UFOs. In 1952 the U.S. Air Force started a classified study called Project Blue Book. The project was shut down in 1969 even though 701 documented incidents remain a mystery.[7]

Personal life

Friend had been married three times. Friend's first marriage to Doris “Bunny” Goodwin, of whom he had named his P-51 Mustang after, ended in divorce. They had a son and a daughter. His second marriage to Kathryn Ann Holland also ended in divorce. They had three sons and one daughter. His third marriage to Anna Rice lasted more than 50 years until her death in 2010. They had one biological and one adopted daughter.[7]

Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal front

Death

Lt. Col. Friend died on June 21, 2019 in Long Beach, California at the age of 99 due to sepsis, according to his daughter. At the time, he was one of 12 remaining Tuskegee Airmen.[8][9] He had flown 142 combat missions in World War II as part of the elite group of fighter pilots trained at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute. A public viewing and memorial was held at the Palm Springs Air Museum on July 6.[10] He had spoken about his experiences in many different events prior to his death, such as in John Murdy Elementary School's "The Gratitude Project" in Garden Grove.[11]

References
  1. "Robert Friend". Redtail. CAF Red Tail Squadron. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  2. Hahn, Jason Duaine. "Tuskegee Airman Robert Friend, Who Flew 142 Combat Missions in World War II, Dead at 99". People. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  3. "Robert J. Friend, Tuskegee Pilot Who Led U.F.O. Project, Is Dead at 99", New York Times, June 26, 2019
  4. Meilan Solly (June 26, 2019), "Robert Friend, Tuskegee Airman Who Flew in 142 Combat Missions, Dies at 99", Smithsonian Magazine
  5. Jackson, Amanda (June 23, 2019). "Robert Friend, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 99". Cable News Network. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. Kruzel, John J. "President, Congress Honor Tuskegee Airmen". Army. U.S. Army. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  7. Smith, Harrison (June 23, 2019). "Robert Friend, Tuskegee fighter pilot who led Air Force study on UFOs, dies at 99". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  8. "Tuskegee Airman Who Flew 142 WWII Combat Missions Dies at 99". NBC New York. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  9. "One of the Last Surviving Tuskegee Airmen Dies Surrounded By Family". Yahoo News. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  10. "One of last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Lt. Col. Robert Friend, has died". New York Daily News. June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  11. "Murdy Elementary School's Gratitude Project Honors Real Life Heroes". GGUSD. June 1, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
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