Talk:Theodore Johnson (Tuskegee Airman)

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Notable? What did he actually do?[edit]

This page is completely devoid of detail of what he actually did in his military service. None of the sources specify what unit(s) he served in, what rank he achieved or when he left the service. If you read the first ref it says "Theodore Johnson didn't talk much about his experience as one of the first black aviators in the U.S. military until he joined the SA chapter of Tuskegee Airmen", but he wasn't an aviator: [1]. The story goes on: "Theodore Johnson made a mark on history as a Tuskegee Airman, but he didn’t talk much about his experiences until later in life.". The unreliable CAF quotes the same story. The 5th ref states: "While none of the three veterans actually flew sorties in the European Theater in WWII, they all spent time at Tuskegee Air Field, becoming part of what was known as “The Tuskegee Experiment,” later called “The Tuskegee Experience.”" and the 6th ref states that he was "an Original Tuskegee Airman" and "He then re-enlisted on January 26, 1946 and moved to many bases, finally ending up at Lockbourne Air Base, Ohio, which served as the post-war home of the Tuskegee Airmen until January 26, 1949." So apparently he was a documented Original Tuskegee Airman because he served in some capacity at Lockbourne between 1946 and 1949 see: [2], there is no reliable source showing him ever serving at Tuskegee. Then later in life he was lauded as a Tuskegee Airman and received some coverage despite the complete lack of detail of an apparently inauspicious military career. Mztourist (talk) 05:07, 16 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Well notability does not always translate strictly to career accomplishment. After a person retires, they can become more notable for post-career activity. His notability (GNG coverage) seemed to increase with age, mainly as representative of the Tuskegee Airmen at various speeches, honors and ceremonies, where he was known for telling stories, posing for pictures with VIPs, riding in parade floats, receiving and giving honors, attending funerals, giving quotes to the press ("war is hell"), etc.. he was a public figure who actively represented his unit at various functions. Some of the coverage is to military sources which would not be considered notable for any AfD purposes, but demonstrates his activity for biographical purposes. -- GreenC 21:21, 16 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that his modern coverage will get him a pass on BASIC. However that coverage is just an example of the Greatest Generation/Band of Brothers phenomenon of lionizing someone because of their group affiliation rather than their personal achievements. As I noted previously, there is very little information available about what he actually did in his military service, the unit(s) he served in, rank he achieved, when he left the service etc. Its not stolen valor, but he certainly seemed to embrace valor that he didn't earn himself. Mztourist (talk) 03:11, 17 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]