The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African American’s who were the first to become pilots in the military. On April 3, 1939, Public Law 18 was passed which aloud the Army Air Corps to become larger. This law aloud African Americans to do more with their military careers. On January 16, 1941 the War Department announced the 99th Pursuit Squadron. This was an all black flying unit where they trained at Tuskegee Institute located in Tuskegee, Alabama. Charles A. Anderson taught himself how to fly on his own, an created a training program at the Institute in 1939. From 1941 to 1946, over 2,000 African Americans completed the training at the institute. Over half of those men were qualified as pilots. They were soon known to be named the Tuskegee Airmen. During the war, the 99th Pursuit Squadron flew over the Mediterranean and Europe as bomber escorts. The airmen never losted a bomber to enemy fighters. The Tuskegee Airmen changed the belief that African Americans couldn’t be responsible for military service. They played a huge part in the military that it is now.