As a member of the famed World War II Tuskegee Airmen, Clarence Dart not only fought valiantly for his country overseas, he fought racism at home. Named after their training site in Alabama, the Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-Americans to fly as fighter pilots in the United States military. As Dart recalls, "Someone in the War Department believed that the cranial capacity of blacks wouldn't let them fly. We proved them wrong!"Indeed, they did: the Tuskegee Airmen lost very few escorted bombers to the Germans. Their heroism during World War II was a key reason why President Truman desegregated the armed forces soon after the war ended.
Dart's early missions were in support of General Mark Clark's 5th Army as they drove to Rome. Dart was constantly flying dive bombing and strafing missions and was shot down twice. After General Clark liberated Rome, the Tuskegee Airmen switched roles and became bomber escorts. In all, Dart flew 95 missions, 45 missions for the 12th Air Force in P-40s and 50 for the 15th Air Force in P-51s. For his bravery, Dart was awarded five Distinguished Flying Crosses, an Air Medal, a Victory Medal, and the WWII Victory Medal, and two purple hearts.
After the war, Dart ended up back in Tuskegee, AL, training pilots, and then went to school in Oakland, CA to study aeronautics. A native of Elmira, Dart settled in Saratoga Springs, NY and worked for GE in Schenectady and retired from Knolls Atomic Power Lab in 1987 after 39 years. Married for 61 years to M. Mildred (Jackson) Dart, he is the father of seven daughters and two sons.
As a Tuskegee Airman, Dart ascended to the rank of Captain. When he returned to New York after the war, Dart continued his service as a Reservist with the Air National Guard and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
In March of2007, Dart, along with 300 of his fellow Tuskegee Airmen, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush and extended an invitation to the inauguration of President Barack Obama on January 20th, 2009. On April 20th, 2011 Dart was bestowed several honors and citations by the New York State Senate, Assembly, Saratoga County and city of Saratoga Springs. Also, in 2011, Dart was inducted into the New York State Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.
For many years after his retirement, Dart was invited to speak at many area schools and colleges. He would speak about his time in the service during the war but always ended with a message about getting a good education.
Clarence Dart passed away on February 17th, 2012. He was laid to rest in Greenridge Cemetary, Saratoga Springs, NY with full military honors.