JAMES WARREN
James Warren’s bravest moment might not have come during a battle with the enemy, but during a battle with the brass. And that’s saying a lot. The former ace pilot’s military career spanned three wars, 173 combat missions and 12,000 flight hours. He received numerous decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Force Commendation Medal. The 1962 UNO graduate also was navigator of “Homecoming One” (the “Hanoi Taxi”), the C-141 that in 1973 flew into North Vietnam and left with the first group of American POWs. He also was part of the Apollo 14 recovery team, flying its crew home from splashdown in American Samoa. His finest moment, though, may have come April 5, 1945, when Warren and dozens of other black officers stationed at Freeman Field in Seymour, Indiana, were arrested for entering the whites-only officers club. The officers came close to standing for court martials but instead had administrative reprimands placed in their official military record. It was the only stain in Warren’s file — and it stayed there until 1995 when President Clinton had it removed. Warren, who retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, wrote a book about his experiences, “The Tuskegee Airmen: Mutiny at Freeman Field” and spoke often about them in speeches across the country.