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Edward C. Gleed

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Tuskegee Airman Edward Gleed with his P-51

Edward Creston Gleed (November 5, 1916 – January 25, 1990) was an U.S. Army Air Force officer with the famed Buffalo Soldiers/9th Cavalry Regiment (United States), 332nd Fighter Group’s operations officer, and combat fighter pilot with the 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen.[1][2][3] He was one of the more prominent members of Tuskegee Airmen's ninth-ever aviation cadet program, as well as one of 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[4] His classmates included Robert B. Tresville (May 9, 1921 – June 24, 1944), West Point's seventh African American graduate and the 100th Fighter Squadron's Commanding Officer.[5][6]

Gleed is well known for his P-51D Mustang aircraft, "The Creamer's Dream", which has been the subject of several famous, widely distributed photographs.[7]

Early life, family, ties to First Lady Martha Washington, Robert E. Lee

Gleed was born on November 5, 1916, in Lawrence, Kansas. He was the son of Herbert J. Gleed Sr. (December 20, 1885 - August 24, 1965) and Carrie Syphax Joseph Gleed (1888–1943), a former home economics professor at Tuskegee Institute and scion of the powerful Syphax family, one of the most elite African-American families during the 19th century.[8][9]

Gleed's mother Carrie was the grandchild of Nancy Syphax, granddaughter of Maria Carter Syphax. Maria was the mullato daughter of George Washington Parke Custis, First Lady of the United States Martha Washington's grandson.[10] Maria Carter Syphax's white half-sister through George, Mary Custis, was the wife of Confederate General and Washington and Lee President, Robert E. Lee.

Gleed had one sibling, older brother Herbert Joseph Gleed, Jr. (May 24, 1915 - September 7, 2006 ).[9][11][12]

After attending high school in Lawrence, Gleed attended and graduated from the University of Kansas.[1] He also attended Howard University School of Law before departing for the U.S. Army Air Corps.[1]

He was married to Lucille Elbertha Graves Gleed (March 22, 1917 - February 29, 2004). They had three daughters: Elizabeth Gleed Ingersoll, Elaine Gleed Williams, and Carol Gleed Weaver. They also had four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.[13]

Military career, Buffalo Soldier, Tuskegee Airmen

On February 8, 1941, Gleed enlisted in the U.S. Army's famed Buffalo Soldiers/9th Cavalry Regiment (United States) at Fort Riley, Kansas where he briefly served in military intelligence.[2][1][3][14] In 1942, the U.S. Army Air Corps reassigned Gleed to Tuskegee, Alabama where he entered the Tuskegee Flight School's aviation cadet program.[2] On December 13, 1942, Gleed graduated as a member of the Single Engine Section Cadet Class SE-42-K, receiving his wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, service number 0-794598.[1][15][14] His classmates included Robert B. Tresville (May 9, 1921 – June 24, 1944), West Point's seventh African American graduate and the 100th Fighter Squadron's Commanding Officer.[5][6]

The U.S. Army Air Corps assigned Gleed to the 332nd Fighter Group, where he became its Operations Officer as well as the Squadron Commander for its 301st Fighter Squadron.[2][16] He also served in leadership in the 477th Bombardier Group.

On July 27, 1944, Gleed earned two official kills after shooting down two enemy German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 during a German armament plant strafing mission near Budapest, Hungary.[17] For his heroics, the U.S. Army Air Corps awarded Gleed the Distinguished Flying Cross.[17] He flew numerous bomber escort, patrol and strafing missions where he and his squadron destroyed bridges, oil refineries, supply dumps, and grounded aircraft. He is well known for his P-51D Mustang aircraft "The Creamer's Dream", which has been the subject of several famous, widely distributed photographs.[7]

After World War II, Gleed served in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In 1947, the 332nd Fighter Wing at Ohio's Lockborne AFB was activated under Gleed's command, with the 332nd Fighter Group as a key component.[17] In 1970, Gleed retired from the military as a full Colonel after nearly 30 years and 6,000 flying hours in the U.S. Army Air Corps and the U.S. Air Force.[3][1]

Post-military

After his retirement from the U.S. military, Gleed worked as a system program manager and chief administrator/contract negotiator for two defense contractors.[1]

In 1976 at the age of 60, Gleed graduated from Los Angeles, California's Southwestern University School of Law.[1]

Death

Gleed died on January 25, 1990. He was 73. Gleed was interred at Riverside National Cemetery, Plot Section 43, site 1462, in Riverside, California.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h CAF Rise Above. "Edward Creston Gleed."https://cafriseabove.org/edward-creston-gleed/
  2. ^ a b c d The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. "Edward C. Gleed Flying Jacket." Published May 04, 2015 https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196715/edward-c-gleed-flying-jacket/
  3. ^ a b c Black Then. "EDWARD CRESTON GLEED: BUFFALO SOLDIER TO TUSKEGEE AIRMAN." JAE JONES. OCTOBER 12, 2018. https://blackthen.com/edward-creston-gleed-buffalo-soldier-tuskegee-airman/
  4. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Stentiford, Barry M. (2012). Tuskegee Airmen. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 86–87, 149. ISBN 978-0-313-38684-8. OCLC 750173825.
  6. ^ a b Francis, Charles E. (1997). Caso, Adolph (ed.). The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men who Changed a Nation. Boston, Massachusetts: Branden Publishing Co. p. 315. ISBN 0-8283-2029-2. OCLC 1036905711.
  7. ^ a b " Edward C. Gleed, Crewmen and the "Creamer's Dream"" Toni Frissell. March 1945. Crewmen adjust a drop tank on the P-5/D "Creamer's Dream" at Ramitelli, Italy. Library of Congress, LC-F9-02-4503-330 -10 https://www.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/tuskegee_airmen/planes_pilots/LC-F9-02-4503-330-11.CreamersDream.html
  8. ^ "Nancy Syphax–Life and Legacy: Colonel Edward Creston Gleed". The White House Historical Association. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Geni. "Herbert joseph gleed, Sr." https://www.geni.com/people/Herbert-gleed-Sr/6000000000118820112
  10. ^ "Nancy Syphax – Life and Legacy - an enslaved resident of the historic decatur house". The White House Historical Association. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  11. ^ Geni. "Herbert joseph gleed, Jr." https://www.geni.com/people/Herbert-Gleed-Jr/6000000000118616397
  12. ^ W6FQ - September 7, 2006. "Herbert J. Gleed Jr, Los Angeles, CA, QCWA # 2511, Chapter 120. https://qcwa.org/w6fq-02511-sk.htm
  13. ^ Legacy. The Los Angeles Times Obituary. "Lucille Gleed." https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/lucille-gleed-obituary?pid=1992000
  14. ^ a b c The American Air Museum in Britain. "Edward Creston Gleed." http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/241759
  15. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster." https://cafriseabove.org/the-tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-roster/ . This data derives from CAF Rise Above's research project compiling data from Tuskegee Airmen historians including the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  16. ^ CAF Rise Above. National Park Service, Museum Management Program Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. "Edward Creston Gleed."https://cafriseabove.org/edward-creston-gleed/
  17. ^ a b c The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. Joseph Caver, Jerome A. Ennels, Daniel Lee Haulman. 2011. Publisher: New South Books. ISBN 9781588382443, 1588382443. Page 177. https://books.google.com/books?id=1qC51h8HrWQC&dq=edward+c+gleed&pg=PA177
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