KENNET BRIDGES | For the Arcadelphian

World War II was a time when America did not have extra people. It was a war that required all of the nation’s resources, manpower, innovation and courage. Aviation played a decisive role. One Arkansan was one of the first African American flight instructors in history. Through his efforts, Milton Crenchow, along with the famous Tuskegee Airmen, helped train hundreds of Pilots who helped the United States turn the tide to victory.

Milton Pitts Krencho was born in Little Rock in 1919, less than two months after the end of World War I. His father, the Reverend Joseph Krencho, was a respected clergyman, tailor, and longtime civil rights activist in the city. The younger Krencho attended local schools, graduating from Dunbar Separate High School in 1936. He earned his certification as an automotive mechanic teacher at Dunbar Junior College before heading to Alabama to continue his education.

By the end of the 1930s, the war was drawing ominously closer to the United States. The importance of aviation became clear to military strategists long before the start of the war. The ability of aircraft to conduct more accurate reconnaissance, to transport troops to and from battlefields, and to attack targets at long range gave military forces with strong air components a clear advantage.

African Americans were not allowed to serve as pilots during World War I, but recognizing the shortage of pilots the country was facing, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed for the training of African Americans as pilots in 1939. Since all the pilots were officers, a college education was required. As a result, Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, soon became the heart of the African American pilot training program. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, after flying with the Tuskegee Flight Program Manager in March 1941, ensured that airmen had the airport facilities they needed.

Krencho arrived at the university and began studying mechanical engineering, and soon began participating in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, an Army Aviation program that trained civilian pilots in possible preparation for future military service. He received his license in August 1941 and began working as a flight instructor. He was the first known African American from Arkansas to be licensed and one of Tuskegee’s first flight instructors.

After the United States entered World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tuskegee training intensified. In 1942, he became a squadron commander, showing young pilots all the subtleties of aircraft control in any weather and with all types of maneuvers. While the training aspects were handled at the university, the actual flight training took place at nearby Moton Field. After all, Crancho trained hundreds of pilots at Tuskegee. Most of the Tuskegee airmen served in Europe during the last years of World War II, often as bomber escorts, protecting American servicemen and ensuring the success of vital wartime missions. The Tuskegee pilots, thanks to the training they received from Krencho and other instructors, became some of the most decorated pilots of the war.

Inspired by his military experience, Crancho wanted to expand aviation opportunities for a new generation of African American pilots. He returned to Arkansas in 1947 and consulted Dr. M.L. Harris, then president of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, about the possibility of developing an aviation program for the college. The college established a popular aviation program at nearby Adams Field (now the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport). He served as a college flight instructor until 1953.

In 1953, Krencho resumed his job of training army pilots. He briefly worked as an instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the next year went to Fort Rucker, Alabama. While at Fort Rucker, he became the first African American instructor on the base. In 1966, he went to Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he continued to train pilots until 1972, when he began working for the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity through the Department of Defense. He retired in 1983.

In his later years, Crancho continued to protect the men he served with in Tuskegee. He pushed for the inclusion of individuals who worked in all jobs, such as cooks, gardeners, flight instructors, and medical personnel, in veterans’ benefits programs. He was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2007, Krencho, along with 16,000 participants at Tuskegee, were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their wartime service and contributions to aviation.

In 2012, Red Tails premiered, which chronicles the experiences of some Tuskegee airmen. Krencho showed up in Little Rock to present the film and discuss his experience with an appreciative audience. He spent most of his last years in Atlanta. Krencho died in November 2015 at the age of 96.

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