Tuskegee Airman Willie Ashley Became a Member of Kappa Alpha Psi After World War II

Did you know that Tuskegee Airman Willie Ashley was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi? Willie pledged the Alpha Eta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Willie Lee Ashley Jr was an officer and combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air force. He flew with the 332nd Fighter Group’s 99 Fighter Squadron also known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The U.S. Army Air Corps admitted Ashley to its Advanced Flight School at Tuskegee Air Force Field. On July 3, 1942, Ashley graduated as a member of the Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-F, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant.

On June 9, 1943, Ashley and his fellow 99th Fighter Squadron pilots Sidney P. Brooks, Charles Dryden, Lee Rayford, Leon Roberts, and Spann Watson became the first African American fighter pilots in history to engage in aerial warfare. Four years later in 1947, Ashley became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Ashley worked for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency, and taught at Howard University.

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