Audley Coulthurst of Famed Tuskegee Airmen Dies in NYC at 92

Although Tuskegee Airmen faced discrimination in a segregated military, the fighter squadrons were among the most respected in World War II

A former member of the pioneering black aviation group the Tuskegee Airmen has died. Audley Coulthurst was 92.

Audra Coulthurst says her father died Thursday at a Veterans Affairs facility in Brooklyn after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Coulthurst enlisted in the Army in 1942. He served as a radio operator who flew with the Tuskegee Airmen B-25 bombers.

Although Tuskegee Airmen faced discrimination in a segregated military, the fighter squadrons were among the most respected in World War II.

Audra Coulthurst says after the war her father became a certified public accountant and served as controller of the National Urban League.

He also is survived by his wife, Matilda Coulthurst, and a son, Jeffrey Coulthurst.

An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information. Audley Coulthurst served as a radio operator who flew with Tuskegee Airmen B-25 bombers.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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