LeRoy Battle facts for kids
LeRoy Battle (born December 31, 1921 – died March 28, 2015) was an amazing person who was a pilot in World War II, a teacher, and a talented jazz musician. He was part of the famous Tuskegee Airmen, a group of brave African American pilots. He also stood up for his rights during an event called the Freeman Field Mutiny.
Quick facts for kids
LeRoy Battle
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| Born | December 31, 1921 New York City, New York, United States |
| Died | September 28, 2015 (aged 93) Annapolis, Maryland, United States |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/ |
United States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1945-1947 |
| Unit | Tuskegee Airmen |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
Contents
Early Life and Music
Growing Up in New York
LeRoy Battle was born in Harlem, a neighborhood in New York. His father owned a candy store, and his mother worked as a cook and beautician. His family, like many others, had moved to New York from the southern United States during a time called the Great Migration.
When LeRoy was young, his parents separated. He and his mother moved to Brooklyn to live with his aunt and grandparents. His aunt and mother ran beauty salons, and LeRoy often helped out with small jobs. He remembered that even during the Great Depression, his family seemed to manage well.
Discovering Drums
In Brooklyn, LeRoy became very interested in playing the drums. To take music lessons, he joined a Boy Scout troop. The scoutmaster, Gary Talbert, was very kind and helped LeRoy and the other boys get more lessons at the Harlem YMCA. After six months, their scout troop formed a drum and bugle corps. LeRoy even marched in five parades in Brooklyn.
When he was in seventh grade, LeRoy got his own drum set. He took lessons for a small fee. Soon, he became a music teacher himself, earning a good amount of money for each lesson!
Standing Up to Racism
LeRoy remembered a time when he and his friends were not allowed to buy ice cream because they were African American. They returned every night for a week to protest. This experience showed LeRoy early on how unfair racism could be.
High School Musician
LeRoy went to Alexander Hamilton High School. He played drums in the school orchestra and marching band. He also performed in several other bands around New York. Once, his reputation as a musician even helped him avoid trouble with a gang.
As a high school senior, LeRoy played with famous jazz singer Billie Holiday. After that, he joined a traveling show that went across the southern United States. Because of unfair Jim Crow laws, LeRoy and his group often had to eat and sleep on their bus.
World War II Service
Becoming a Tuskegee Airman
In September 1943, LeRoy Battle joined the military. On his very first day, he decided to volunteer for the Tuskegee Airmen. He later said he didn't plan to be a pilot, but it seemed like a great chance. He went through basic training and then continued his pilot training at the Tuskegee Institute.
After graduating from Tuskegee, LeRoy learned how to shoot down enemy planes. He and another African American cadet played music at a dance for white cadets. In return, their fellow African American trainees got extra free time. However, LeRoy was upset because they were hidden behind palm trees while they played. He refused to play for them again.
LeRoy finished his bombardier training on November 4, 1944. He was assigned to the 616th Squadron.
The Freeman Field Mutiny
In 1945, LeRoy Battle's group, the 477th Bombardment Group, moved to Freeman Army Air Force Base for more training. They were supposed to go overseas after this. However, they found out they were not allowed to use the officers' club because of their race. They decided to protest this unfair rule.
LeRoy was one of the first twenty African American pilots who tried to enter the club. All twenty men were arrested. LeRoy remembered:
We went to the theater, then a bunch of us went over to the club. We brushed by [the MPs], went in and sat down. Col. Selway … put us under barrack arrest. They had a barbed-wire fence around our area. We could look out and see the Italian POWs walking around, going to the PX. We would meet in the lavatory.
The arrested pilots were told to sign a paper apologizing and promising not to enter the club again. LeRoy and the others refused, even though they faced serious consequences like a court-martial. LeRoy knew they could be charged with treason or mutiny and even executed. But he felt they had to stand up for their rights. This happened years before other famous civil rights actions, like Rosa Parks refusing her seat on a bus.
LeRoy received a formal warning. He returned to training and was honorably discharged in August 1945. Many years later, in 1995, his reprimand was officially removed from his record.
After the War
After the war, LeRoy Battle studied at the Juilliard School and then at Morgan State University, where he earned a degree in music education. He also earned a master's degree in education.
A Dedicated Educator
In 1950, LeRoy Battle became a music teacher at Douglass High School. He quickly put together a stage band. Over the next eight years, his band won first place in fourteen competitions! In 1958, the Douglass High School band became the first African American group to be featured in a well-known musical yearbook called First Chair of America. They were also featured in Jet Magazine.
LeRoy also tried to fight unfair rules in sports. He wanted the Washington Redskins marching band and cheerleaders to allow African American members. He encouraged two of his band members to try out. They reported that the Redskins organization seemed to avoid sending applications to African Americans.
In 1959, a county in Virginia closed its public schools to avoid allowing students of all races to learn together. LeRoy attended a protest rally with some of his trumpet players. LeRoy also worked as a guidance counselor and assistant principal. He retired in 1978.
A Talented Jazz Musician
While working as an educator, LeRoy Battle continued to make music with his own jazz band, LeRoy Battle and the Altones. They became a very popular band in Maryland. They even had a regular spot on a radio show.
From 1992 to 1996, LeRoy worked with singer Eva Cassidy. He played trombone, organ, and trumpet on her albums. He also helped with the sound engineering for her 1996 album, Live at Blues Alley.
In 1995, LeRoy Battle wrote his autobiography, titled "Easier Said."
Awards
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007) - This is one of the highest awards given to civilians in the United States.
Personal Life
LeRoy Battle married his first wife in 1950, and they had one son, Lamont. They later divorced. In 1958, he married Alice Elizabeth Holt. They had two children, LeRoy Jr. and Lisa, and stayed together until Alice's death in 2014. LeRoy had five grandchildren. He was a member of the Adams United Methodist Church.
LeRoy Battle lived in Harwood, Maryland. He passed away on March 28, 2015, at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland.
