"We've come a long way since 1925," Lt. Col. Harry Stewart said, donning the teal blazer synonymous with the 332nd Fighter Group, better known today as the Tuskegee Airmen.

In 1925, the Army War College issued a report on "The use of negro manpower in war." That report wasn't kind in its views of black soldiers, characterizing them as cowardly and morally unfit to contribute to the military in a meaningful way.

That view persisted until 1941, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ignoring the advice of his generals, opened the door for blacks to fly planes for the U.S. military. Segregation was still the law of the land, so the cadre of black pilots trained together at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, where they earned their moniker.

Stewart recalled that as part of a Tuesday afternoon panel on the Tuskegee Airmen at Washtenaw Community College. The panel, which was brought in by the WCC African American Student Association, was meant as a boost of encouragement for young students to make their mark on history.

The airmen played a big role in World War II, mostly giving air cover to fighters on the ground. Major General Richard Bodycombe of Ann Arbor said the Airmen performed at a high level.

"We relied on their air cover many times," said Bodycombe, who served in the European Theater. "They were reliable, professional guys - cream of the crop," Bodycombe said.

But if World War II established blacks could fly military aircraft in competent fashion, it was the Tuskegee Airmen's showing in the May 1949 Air Force Weapons Meet that proved blacks could aim high, as well.

For almost two weeks that May, top representatives from every branch of the military engaged in aeronautical competition at the Las Vegas Air Force Base (now Wright Patterson). By the end, the men from the 332nd Fighter Group had won. 

The story of the Tuskegee Airmen's victory in the weapons meet, which wasn't officially recognized until 1995, is told in Zellie Rainey Orr's 2009 effort, "Heroes in War, Heroes at Home: A Tribute to the 'First' Air Force Top Guns."

In Tuskegee Airmen folklore, which divides the history of the group into four periods, the 1949 Weapons Meet represents "The Last Hurrah." The "Final Hurrah" came in May 2007, when the airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor granted to American civilians.

In July 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, integrating the U.S. military. That, coupled with the validation of the "last hurrah" in 1949, opened many doors for would-be black pilots, Stewart said.

Partially on the basis of the Tuskegee Airmen's record, segregated units, including the 332nd Fighter Group, were disbanded. The fighters were reassigned to integrated units.

"We refuted that 1925 report," said Stewart, who participated in the 1948 competition. "After that day, no one could ever say blacks were unfit to serve our country."

Today, each branch of the military has at least one black general.

Other panelists on the panel included Col. Rodney Williams, director of the Joint Forces Headquarters in Lansing; Major Alice Reed, who served as a nurse in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm; Aveia Morris, a technical prep articulation coordinator and advisor for the hosting student group; and Robin Petgrave, founder and head of Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum in Compton, Calif.

"Who knows how many kids could've had a greater sense of self worth growing up, if they knew of the heroics of their forefathers?" asked Thornton Perkins, who emceed the discussion. "It's our job to tell these stories."

Petgrave encouraged students to look beyond the job and career hunt and instead find a way to get paid for their passions.

"There are people who get paid to sleep. There are people who get paid to ride rollercoasters or fly around the country," Petgrave said. "You don't need to be like me - you just need to find what you love, what you'd do even on your day off, and find a way to make a lot of money doing it."

A pilot for 19 years and upward of 40,000 flight hours, Petgrave said helicopters were a lifelong interest. But as a youth he was told that military service was the only way to fly.

"I wasn't trying to join the military," said Petgrave, who is also a stunt pilot. "All I wanted to do was fly - no one told me I could just take lessons myself."

Petgrave, with the proceeds from his acting career, began taking flight lessons. 

"I wonder how much more I could've done if I knew what was possible from a young age," Petgrave said.

Petgrave brought along two students who have taken his words to heart - Kelly and Kimberly Anyadike. The sisters, who hail from Compton, Calif., both cracked the aviation record books last year.

Last year, Kelly Anyadike, then 16, became the first black female to fly four different aircraft in one day, while Kimberly Anyadike, then 15, became the first black female pilot to fly round trip, coast to coast. That journey took her from Compton to Newport News, Virginia, and back.

Neither of the Anyadike sisters is old enough to drive, but both have the maturity to respect history. In their brief remarks, both Kelly and Kimberly credited the Tuskegee Airmen with the motivation that fueled their budding aviation careers.

"The Tuskegee Airmen opened up that door for all of us," Petgrave said. "Now it's up to each and every one of you walk through it."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.