It was a different era when 97-year-old Ted Lumpkin served in the military in the 1940s.

  • Tuskegee Airmen's annual convention taking place in Orlando area
  • Ted Lumpkin, 97, was drafted into WWII after Pearl Harbor attack
  • There are only a few hundred Tuskegee Airmen left

"I was drafted after Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was the 7th of December, 1941," said Lumpkin — an original Tuskegee Airman — on Thursday.

Lumpkin is one of about 20 original Tuskegee Airmen, who are gathering this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Orlando on International Drive for the group's 46th annual convention.

At the time, Lumpkin’s assignment was top secret. A Signal Corps member, he manned the radar as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II.

“We were all sent to Tuskegee, and I didn’t know that much about Tuskegee, to be very truthful," Lumpkin said. “(It was my) first time seeing that part of the country, and that was the first time that I had been in a compartment on a train. We thought we were big shots.


Ted Lumpkin, 97, is one of a few hundred surviving Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black training pilot squadron from World War II. (John W. Davis, staff)

"When we got to the Mason-Dixon line, we found out why we were in a compartment," Lumpkin said.

But in a time when the military was still segregated, he was committed to serving his country regardless, supporting the now famous Tuskegee “Red Tails” fighter pilots.

“I remained a part of the fighter squadron all throughout the war," Lumpkin said.

Lumpkin thinks that over time, the story of the all-black Tuskegee program has left a lasting legacy.

“Do the best that you can in terms of life, to help with race relations, to help with civil rights," he said.

Convention organizers say Lumpkin is one of the last few hundred or so living Tuskegee Airmen in the world. It’s a privilege and honor Lumpkin doesn't take lightly.

“Talk to youngsters, let them know that there is hope and a better way to go," Lumpkin said.

Lumpkin has helped give out more than $2 million in scholarships over the past 40 years.

The 46th annual Tuskegee Airmen convention runs through Saturday, Aug. 5.