Forgotten Souls - by Cheryl W Thompson (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

NPR investigative journalist and the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, Cheryl W. Thompson explores the stories of the 27 Tuskegee Airmen - the Black pilots who fought for America in WWII - who went missing in combat, the lives they lived, the reasons their planes went down, why the remains of all but two were never found, and the impact their disappearances had on their families and communities.

In 1945, World War II ended one of the deadliest conflicts in history. Geared for battle were nearly 1,000 trailblazing Black pilots trained at the Tuskegee Army Air Field, an unrepentantly segregated facility in Alabama. Hailing from the Iowa cornfields to the Texas Gulf Coast to the tobacco plantations of North Carolina, the Tuskegee Airmen already proved, under the toughest circumstances, to be among the most resilient and defiantly patriotic men of the Army Air Corps.

27 of them disappeared during the final critical missions in Europe. So, too, would the government's efforts to find them or help to bring closure to the loved ones that the valiant 332nd Fighter Group left behind.

In Forgotten Souls, award-winning investigative journalist Cheryl W. Thompson delves into the true stories of the Black combat pilots who faced unimaginable racism--before, during and after the war--from a military that told them they were less than, even as their courage and aviation prowess saved scores of White brothers-in-arms from the enemy and possibly death.

As cruel as war itself could be, the friends, family, communities and fellow Tuskegee Airmen who mourned the lost pilots never imagined how unforgivable it could get. After 80 years, Forgotten Souls honors the impact they made, and the sacrifices they endured on America's behalf.

Review Quotes

Praise for Forgotten Souls:

"Stories of men and families who made the ultimate sacrifice for an often hostile homeland... Thompson, a veteran investigative journalist for the Washington Post and NPR whose father was Tuskegee trained, suggests that many of these incidents were due to faulty single-engine fighter planes that were already old when the Tuskegee pilots were assigned to fly them. One family member told Thompson she believed the military "intentionally equipped the young, inexperienced Black pilots, like her dad, with less than stellar aircraft because the men weren't wanted as pilots in World War II, to begin with." Interviews with survivors, many now in their 90s, reveal intense feelings of pride and sorrow over the lives lost, and lingering anger over the shoddy treatment their loved ones faced in the U.S. and abroad. Poignant, bittersweet lives of unsung and overlooked American heroes." --Kirkus

"Thompson unearths the stories of 27 Tuskegee airmen who reported for duty but never made it home. Each story briefly describes the airman's history (place of birth, family, etc), enrollment in the Tuskegee Airmen program, and the fateful day he disappeared. Conversations with the surviving family members, fellow airmen, and current researchers help to map out what happened (or didn't happen, as it were) after the disappearance abroad. Family member interviews, newspaper clippings, government documents, and transcribed family letters are woven together to bring these men's stories into the light. The child of a Tuskegee Airman herself, Thompson adds her own impassioned commentary to the stories she unveils, blending in her family's experience with that of those she interviews. Fast-paced and sobering, the stories illustrate the longing for closure and recognition that still plagues the families of the missing Tuskegee airmen all these years later. At times heart-wrenching and at times hopeful, Thompson hammers home the idea that the ones who leave us are never really gone." --Booklist

"Cheryl W. Thompson's Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen shines light on 27 Red Tail pilots who vanished in combat during World War II and were never brought home. Through extensive research, family interviews, and compassionate storytelling, Thompson restores identity and dignity to men too often ignored by the very system they served. This powerful book blends history and humanity, revealing the personal stories behind each missing airman and the generations who still carry the weight of unanswered questions. It stands as a vital contribution to both WWII scholarship and African American history." --Vintage Aviation News

"Forgotten Souls is a tenacious reporting journey that illuminates a part of American history too often relegated to the shadows. Its exploration ensures heroic men and women won't be forgotten, starting with the author's own father." --Robert Samuels, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of His Name is George Floyd

"Gifted investigative journalist Cheryl W. Thompson utilizes her skills in tracing the deep and enduring mysteries of these lost Tuskegee Airmen who changed aviation history. Lost they may be, she nevertheless has given their descendants a gift of discovery in reminding us all of the heroism these Black pilots showed during battle." --Wil Haygood, author of Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination that Changed America

"Thompson restores to vivid life black men whose valor has gone unknown and uncelebrated for far too long." --Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of The Last Thing You Surrender

"Forgotten Souls beautifully honors a group of American heroes whose courage and sacrifice have never been properly recognized: twenty-seven Tuskegee Airmen, pioneering Black aviators, who vanished without a trace while flying dangerous missions in World War II. With exhaustive research and beautiful writing, Cheryl W. Thompson brings these brave men back to life--and charts the oppressive Jim Crow discrimination they had to overcome both before and after joining the segregated U.S. military. As far as the nation was concerned, they were forgotten. Thompson corrects that unconscionable error." --Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author of Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America

"Forgotten Souls brings to life the forgotten stories of the valiant twenty-seven Tuskegee airmen who vanished without a trace during their World War II service in Europe. These courageous unsung heroes deserve their place in history now more than ever." --Susan Tate Ankeny, author of American Flygirl and The Girl and the Bombardier

About the Author

Cheryl W. Thompson is an award-winning investigative reporter for National Public Radio, an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University, and author of Forgotten Souls: The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen. She is the recipient of more than 40 journalism awards, including an Emmy and 5 National Headliners, and served as reporting coach for the Pulitzer Prize-winning NPR podcast No Compromise. During more than 20 years as a reporter for The Washington Post, she was part of teams that won two Pulitzer Prizes for national reporting. She served as a Pulitzer Prize juror for the Investigative Reporting category in 2022 and chaired the jury in 2023. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Investigative Reporters and Editors, where she was elected the first Black president in 2018 and served an unprecedented three terms. She is also a founding and current board member of the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism and a member of the advisory board for the Fund for Investigative Journalism. She is currently a member of the National Press Foundation Board and the Spotlight DC Board, and a two-time graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The daughter of a Tuskegee Airman, she is a Chicago native who lives outside Washington, DC, and can be found online at CherylWThompson.com.