The Life of Eugene Bullard

Gene Bullard (1895-1961) was the first African American fighter pilot.  He flew missions for the French Army during WW1 and was called "the swallow of death."  He lived one of the most fascinating lives you can imagine, from leaving Columbus, Georgia and stowing away on an oceanliner to get to Paris, to fighting for the French in WW1 and WW2, to spying for the French during WW2, to boxing, nightclub owner and jazz drummer.  He knew everyone from Ernest Hemmingway, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Langston Hughes, to Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Louis Armstrong and  Charles DeGualle    .

One of the main reasons he left the U.S. was the racism he saw everywhere, and in everything he did.  He knew he could never achieve what he wanted in an America that he saw as racist.  France offered him opportunities he never would have had in the U.S., and although there was some racism, blacks were far more accepted than they were in Georgia.

He was awarded 15 medals of valor by the French government and met more important people than one could hope to meet in 10 lifetimes.  He returned to New York after WW2, found his two daughters who he had lost contact with, and settled in Harlem for the remainder of his years.  He was not mentioned in the American press at the time of his greatest achievements, nor is he mentioned in any history books.  However he was a great hero in France.  Gene Bullard lived a fascinating life.  To learn more about this amazing man, you might want to read All Blood Runs Red.  I loved it.