EL PASO, Texas - The El Paso area Theta Delta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha was present Saturday at Fort Bliss’ The Grand Theatre for a reserved screening of the film Red Tails, with special guest John W. Jarrett IV. Jarrett’s father, John W Jarrett III was one of the original members of the famed Tuskegee airmen.
Graduating from the Tuskegee Institute in December of 1944, the senior Jarrett served with the 332nd Fighter Group whose story is told in the film.
Jarrett, unfortunately, would never get the opportunity to ask his father about his experiences during the war as his father died when Jarrett was only two years old. He would, however, be afforded the opportunity to learn about his father through other family members.
“I never got the chance to get [the story] from him,” said Jarrett, “but my uncles and my aunts would tell me the stories, [my father] was very much open about it.”
Production delays and distribution issues with the movie did not deter the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity from making a nationwide push to secure special screenings of the World War II movie for its members to draw attention to the film. Since its founding in 1906, the fraternity focused on developing leaders and academic excellence while providing service and advocacy for African-Americans in the community.
Film and industry pioneer George Lucas’ production of the story of the first all-African-American fighter squad in World War II is not the first time this story has been told on film. It is, however, the first to be told on this scale. Lucas, famous for the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, has been developing Red Tails since 1998. The action drama film, directed by Anthony Hemingway from a screenplay by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder, is inspired by true events and based on the Tuskegee airmen, the 332nd Fighter Group of African-American servicemen who saw action in North Africa and Italy. Lucas in recent interviews has stated the long delay in the production of the film was because the major film studios balked at financing and marketing a film with an “all-black” cast and “no major white roles.” As he has done in the past, Lucas eventually took it upon himself to finish the film by completely financing it independently. Twentyth Century Fox, with whom Lucas has had a long relationship eventually agreed to distribute the film.
Following the screening organized by the Theta Delta Lambda chapter with assistance from former Fort Bliss Post Command Sgt. Maj. Robert S. Rodgers, Jarrett praised the impact and the authenticity of the film.
Recalling what he had learned about his father’s experiences from his family, Jarrett told the assembled crowd, “They were able to school me and educate me what it meant to be a Tuskegee airman and a person of color back in that time. … I can say that from what I saw in the movie, it did bring tears to my eyes because so many things [in it] were what I had heard.”
Historian for Theta Delta Lambda, Eric L. Brown, described Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s involvement with Red Tails and its interest in getting its members out to theaters.
“Our national organization knew that this was actually an occasion where they would be recognizing African-Americans and their accomplishments within the Army,” said Brown.
Brown went on to elaborate on the fraternity’s historical connection to the events depicted in the film and why they took a special interest in it. “Some of those Tuskegee airmen happened to be men from historically black colleges, and they were given an opportunity to become a part of something [like the fraternity].”
“I’m never at loss for words, but what a powerful event this is,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Artez Lamar.
Lamar, one of the event organizers, summed up the experience for those in attendance.
“To watch that film you can definitely understand that in order to reach our goals we must have a [defined] purpose like they had,” said Lamar. “I want to leave all of us with this one phrase: Our sight tells us where we are, our vision tells us where we can be, but only our [actions] can take us there."
“I want to thank [John Jarrett’s family] and the history of those men for their [actions]. It is because of their [actions] that we are able to stand here today and be proud of their heritage and our heritage.”