Already a pilot for the French in WW1
He tried to join the US Air Force in 1917, but only white pilots were picked
In 1959, General Charles de Gaulle made him a Knight of the Légion d'Honneur, the highest award in France
Escaped from Georgia as child, stowed away on a ship to Scotland, became a boxer, joined a circus, joined the French Foreign Legion in WW1, later became one of the first black pilots, nicknamed the "'Black Swallow of Death"
Already a pilot for the French in WW1
He tried to join the US Air Force in 1917, but only white pilots were picked
In 1959, General Charles de Gaulle made him a Knight of the Légion d'Honneur, the highest award in France