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Biography · Arts & Performance

James B. Knighten

1919–2000

United States

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Biography

James Bernard Knighten (December 11, 1919 – November 9, 2000) was one of the first twelve African-Americans to become a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps after graduating from flight school at the Tuskegee Army Air Field. He became a member of the famed 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the World War II-era group of highly decorated African-American aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Knighten flew in the first combat mission by African American pilots on June 9, 1943.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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