482nd's M/Sgt Fred Archer
From WW II's Tuskegee Airmen to Korea to Viet-Nam.
He was the first black American to attain the rank of CMSgt in the USAF.
What I remember most about MSgt Archer was that he met you eye to eye, man to man, airman to airman. There was no race in it. And we responded to that.
MSgt Archer was born on July 30, 1921, in New York. He was 17 years old when he entered the New York National Guard in 1939, serving two years in the infantry before going on active duty with the Army Air Corps in 1941. Congress created the 99th Pursuit Squadron in 1941 to see if blacks were capable of operating and maintaining aircraft. MSgt Archer, along with 13 other blacks, left New York for Chanute Field, Illinois, where they received their technical training. Archer said later, "Due to segregation most of us in the 99th didn't go to tech-school; tech-school was brought to us." These airmen were then sent to Tuskegee Airfield and became the support crew for the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African Americans to train as Army Air Corps pilots.
To think that MSgt Archer escaped discrimination is wishful thinking. After WW II he was sent to retrieve a white military prisoner in Texas and wasn't allowed to ride in the same car with him. In 1949, Fred was assigned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. When he first arrived he was told: "We don't know what to do with you. You've got too much rank to drive a garbage truck." He was made NCOIC of the Armament Shop, and remained in A & E the rest of his career.
At Seymour Johnson there was a problem in enrolling Fred's young son in a grade school that wouldn't accept blacks. Fred mentioned this to Lt. Col. Thomas. Col. Thomas, another officer, and Fred returned to the school's office in full dress uniform. Fred's boy was admitted. They laughed later that the Principal couldn't take his eyes off all the rows of ribbons facing him. But usually, Fred handled his racial problems on his own, and very effectively.
CMSgt Archer was the first black to be nominated (three times) for the position of Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Air Force Commendation medal, Meritorious Service Medal with clusters, and 15 other service awards. He served 35 years in the military, retiring from the US Air Force in 1974 and resided in Tucson, seeming to like the desert.
Fred kept himself busy by becoming involved with the Model Cities Program, and in 1978 he was made the first Director of the "A" Mountain Neighborhood Center, an institution that "was his heart." He designed the initial plans for the entire center, but didn't put his name on them. He stayed involved with this and other community projects until his death on September 17, 1988. The "A" Mountain Neighborhood Center, that he worked so hard to create, now bears Fred Archer's name.
Fred Archer Center, 1655 S. La Cholla, Tucson, AZ
One of the lakes in Silverlake Park also carries his name, as well as the Tucson Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. The Tuskegee Airmen organization also presents the "Chief Master Sergeant Fred Archer Award" to the senior noncommissioned officer on active duty that exhibits outstanding performance in both professional and community service. CMSgt Archer has been posthumously nominated by officers at Davis-Monthan AFB for the Memorialization Program at Tactical Air Command headquarters. If chosen, a building at Langley AFB, Virginia, will be named in his honor.
It was a pleasure to have served with him, if only for a little while.
Date: Monday, Sept 19, 1988
The Arizona Daily Star, p A3
Byline: Elena Acoba
Fred Archer, local activist, dies at 67
Community activist, Fred Archer, director of the "A" Mountian Neighborhood Center since it opened 10 year ago, died Saturday. He was 67.
Archer, a 33-year Air Force veteran, was active in many neighborhood organizations and citizens boards.
He was appointed in 1978 to then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt's Citizens' Committee on Tax Reform and School Finance to study Arizona's tax structure.
He also was a volunteer for the Retiree Involvement Program, which kept military retirees and their families informed about benefits and services.
Model Cities policy board
Archer was a member of Tucson's Model Cities policy board, which decided how to spend $52 million in federal funds from 1970 to 1975. The program provided social services and public works projects to neighborhoods primarily on the west and south sides.
After the federal government ended the program, Archer was elected to the 18-member Citizens Participation Council in 1975 to continue advising government officials on spending for services.
Archer also was its chairman.
Archer was a member of the nine-member Affirmative Action Task Force that monitors the city's hiring and promotion practices.
Opened "A" Mountian center
In 1978, Archer was selected as a board director for the new Federation of Pima Homeowners Association, which grew from 23 neighborhood groups to 34 groups in its first year. Archer represented the "A" Mountain Betterment Association on the board.
Archer opened the "A" Mountain, Neighborhood Center, 1655 South La Cholla Blvd., in September, 1978.
Archer is survived by his wife, Frances; son, Steve, of California; and sister, Ruby A. Morton of New York.
Visitation wil be from 1 to 7 p.m. tomorrow at Adair Chapel, 1050 N. Dodge Blvd. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base chapel. Burial will be in Eastlawn Cemetery after the services.
The family requests donations be made to the Veterans Medical Center in Tucson.