218160 Capt. William M. Cousins United States Army Air Corps Tuskegee Airmen from:Philadelphia, PA William M. Cousins, 90, of Philadelphia, a Tuskegee Airman during World War II who went on to work for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, died on 15th May 1914, of pneumonia at Chestnut Hill Hospital Philadelphia aged 90.
He was drafted into the Army and lobbied hard for the chance to become an aviator. He was sent to Biloxi, Miss., then to Tuskegee, Ala., where he spent 30th July to 8th September 1944, in advanced training as a single-engine aircraft pilot.
He had one close call during the session.
"We were in the final phase of advanced training, and it was a high-altitude mission to get the [plane] to its maximum height in a group. Suddenly my windscreen was coated with oil, and I had to make an emergency landing on the field," he recalled in an online account. He landed safely.
Upon receiving his wings, he became a second lieutenant and one of the now-famous Tuskegee Airmen.
He flew to Casablanca, then on to Naples, and finally inland to Ramitelli, to join the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. While stationed in Italy, he flew a P-51 Mustang, completing more than a dozen missions.
On 1st October 1945, Mr. Cousins, by then a first lieutenant, sailed from Naples and returned home. He was honorably discharged on 25th December 1946, with the rank of captain.
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