VOA标准英语2012--US Fighter Pilot Draws Inspiration From Tuskegee Airmen

US Fighter Pilot Draws Inspiration From Tuskegee Airmen

The exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, an all black fighter squadron, went largely unnoticed during and after World War II.
“The information about the pilots in the news was a big secret as far as this country was concerned,” said Beverly Dunjill, a Tuskegee Airman.
Despite the lack of recognition, Dunjill and other pilots broke the “color barrier” in the U.S. military.
Inspiring younger generations
Their stories motivated youth like Kenyatta Ruffin, who, generations later, pursued a career in the armed forces.
“I vowed¹ to conduct my life and to strive for excellence² in the same manner they did,” said Ruffin.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Ruffin became an F-16 fighter pilot.
During a combat deployment³ to Iraq, fate brought him closer to the men he idolized.
“I landed at Balad Air Base in Iraq. And Balad was the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which is a direct legacy⁴ to the same unit as the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airmen. So no kidding, I was a member of the same unit as the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Ruffin.
Reaching new heights
It was a bittersweet moment for Ruffin, the only African American pilot assigned to the wing at the time.
“In most of the units I’ve been in, I’ve been the only African American pilot,” he said.
Ruffin is one of 45 African American fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force.
That is 1.4 percent of all fighter pilots in the Air Force - far fewer than the number who served during the Second World War, when nearly 1,000 pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in the southern state of Alabama.
“It’s an atrocious statistic⁵, especially if you consider that we want to be representative of society, and the black population in America is anywhere between 10 and 12 percent,” said Ruffin.
Achieving excellence
Ruffin said the disparity is not due to racism⁶.
“The issue is there is not enough exposure to it," he said. "The popular media, you’re filled with basketball players, football players, rappers, and your not exposed to the likes of the Tuskegee Airmen, who lived their lives with excellence, with character and competence⁷.”
At a theater in Chicago, after watching the movie Red Tails that dramatizes the accomplishments⁸ of the Tuskegee Airmen, Ruffin used the film as a way to increase exposure to his own life as an aviator⁹.
He said the words of the first African American to rise to the rank of a four-star general, Daniel James, Jr., rings true when he talks to young people.
“He says ‘The power of excellence is overwhelming. It is always in demand, and nobody cares about its color.’ And that’s the truth,” said Ruffin.
The U.S. Air Force also has a motto for this - “Aim High.”

1 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

2 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

5 statistic   

n.统计量；adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• Official statistics show real wages declining by 24%.官方统计数字表明实际工资下降了24%。
• There are no reliable statistics for the number of deaths in the battle.关于阵亡人数没有可靠的统计数字。

6 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

7 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

8 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。