Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer - Pilot Considered the Only Ace Tuskegee Airman Dies
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer, a decorated member of the Tuskegee Airmen who lived in New Rochelle, has died. He was 90.
His son, Roy Archer, said he died in a Manhattan hospital Wednesday night. The cause of death was not immediately determined.
Archer was an ace pilot in America’s first black fighter group in World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen fought with distinction but faced segregation when they returned home. The group was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President George W. Bush.
After serving in the military, Archer joined General Foods Corp. in the early 1970s and became a corporate vice president.
Archer was among the Tuskegee Airmen attending President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009…
P-51C “Inna Macon Belle”
302nd Fighter Squadron
Tuskegee Airmen
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal (18 clusters)
Distinguished Unit Citation