Eugene Bullard was the first black American fighter pilot — and he never flew for the United States. His countless feats of bravery in World War I are well-documented. His valor and courage are legendary, and he is one of the greatest Americans that you never heard of. He went from being a runaway to a boxer to a fighter pilot, all before he was 25 years old.
Bullard was born in 1895 in Columbus, Georgia. He ran away several times during his youth — apparently, he had a wanderlust spirit about him. In 1912, he boarded a German freighter and found his way to Scotland. Eventually settling in London, he found work as a boxer and a performer in an entertainment troupe known as Belle Davis’s Freedman Pickaninnies. The following year, he relocated to Paris after a boxing match. He fell in love with the city, the people, and the culture. He settled there as a prizefighter.
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var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_44264662", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"952233"} }); ","_id":"0000017e-e400-dd76-a5fe-e4961b970000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedWhen World War I began, Bullard entered the French Foreign Legion, where he eventually attained the rank of corporal. He was wounded in the Battle of Verdun in 1916. For his courage and bravery as an infantryman, he earned the prestigious Croix de Guerre, among other awards and recognition. While recuperating, he was presented with an offer that would change his life forever.
He accepted an offer to join the French Air Force as a gunner. While at gunnery school, he decided he wanted to be a pilot and was granted permission to go to flight training. While there, he joined 200 other Americans who had volunteered to help France in World War I before the U.S. entered. He flew in the Lafayette Flying Corps in 1917, distinguishing himself in aerial combat.
He remained in France after the war ended. He lived relatively peacefully until the 1930s, when the drums of war were beating in Europe as Adolf Hitler rose to power. In 1939, Bullard worked as a spy and helped identify French traitors who were supporting Nazis while in France.
When the Nazis invaded France in 1940, Bullard put on his uniform again and went back to fighting for the French. At 46 years old, he rejoined the French military. He was seriously wounded by an exploding shell and eventually returned to the United States. Unable to participate in military duty because of his injuries, Bullard helped the war effort in the country by participating in bond drives. He also worked as a longshoreman in New York despite his injuries.
While he was relatively unknown to Americans, he gained legendary status in France. In 1954, he was selected to help light the “Everlasting Flame” at the French Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In 1959, he was given the Knight of the Legion of Honor by the French.
Eugene Bullard died of stomach cancer in 1961. He was recognized for his heroic feats and buried with “full military honors in his legionnaire’s uniform in the cemetery of the Federation of French War Veterans in Flushing, N.Y.” As an acknowledgment of his bravery and accomplishments, the secretary of the Air Force awarded Bullard the rank of second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force after his death.
