Eugene Bullard

First African-American combat pilot who flew for France in WWI then resisted Nazis as underground agent

Eugene Jacques Bullard (1895-1961), born in Georgia to former slaves, became history's first Black military pilot after stowing away to Europe at 11. He joined the French Foreign Legion in 1914, surviving shrapnel wounds at Verdun before transferring to the Aéronautique Militaire[2].

Flying 20 combat missions in SPAD VII fighters decorated with 'All Blood Runs Red' insignia, Bullard earned multiple French medals. Denied entry to US forces due to racism, he later operated Paris' celebrated Le Grand Duc jazz club[3], sheltering Resistance members during WWII before escaping Nazi-occupied France.

His 1959 recognition as Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur preceded death in obscurity. Bullard's legacy reshaped racial boundaries in aviation and proved Black excellence in multiple combat theaters. A 1994 posthumous commission finally made him a US Air Force Lieutenant.