(sound of airplane engine) What happens when an obscure aircraft company is given the chance to come up with a risky airplane design in an unheard of short amount of time. And it turns out to be the best design in history. Then imagine if you gave those planes to an unlikely group of men who stepped up to the challenge. You get a result that helped turn the tide of the war for America. This is an epic underdog story of real life heroes that is so big, it sounds more like legend than history.
These guys, the Tuskegee Airmen. Now you ask yourself, what does this amazing story have to do with revival? Well, it's more than you might think. Hang on, the next 30 minutes are going to be fun. (sound of airplane engine) - Heavenly Father, we thank You for this glorious day. We ask that You send Your angels down to surround us as we fly through the sky. We know that it's part of your master plan, that we've made it all the way from Tuskegee here to Ramitelli.
We are very confident in our abilities, but we ask that You give us the vision, the sight, and the speed and power to make it through this mission. All the airmen say, in Jesus' name we pray, Amen. [Crowd] Amen. (music) - Several weeks ago, Kenneth Copeland came to me and said, "I want you to do a story on the Tuskegee Airmen" So we're here at Moton Field in Alabama to tell you the story of men who faced incredible odds and overcame them. But there was also a revival.
- And yesterday I fulfilled one of my ambitions as a combat pilot. I got one airplane- - An American far from home, fighting a war around the world. Listen, again. - This was my later and the second ship with me and two Focke-Wulfs came on my right. I turned right and put up a stone wall of bullets. And the first- - A wall of bullets. It wasn't so long ago these men were students in a university, workman in a shipyard, just plain citizens from everywhere, USA. They changed jobs.
They changed clothes. They took a train into the future. They didn't know what the future would be, but many hoped they'd get the chance to fly and fight in the air. Some wanted that chance more than anything in the world. (sound of airplane engine) - In World War II, it was at this small army airfield that men came from all over America and it was through their faith and courage that history was changed. We know them as the Tuskegee Airmen.
♪ This is the G. I. Jive ♪ Man alive ♪ It starts with the bugler blowin' reveille ♪ over your bed when you arrive ♪ Jack, that's the G. I. Jive ♪ Roodley-toot ♪ Jump in your suit ♪ Make a salute ♪ Veut! - Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama was the birthplace of a unique military experiment that would result in what the men who participated in it called a double victory.
Victory oversees against the German air force and victory at home by opening the door to civil rights by proving that these black heroes were just as capable as their white counterparts. It was in the classrooms and in these planes that these young men studied and learned to use aerodynamics and how to overcome gravity. And they used their faith to overcome bigotry, and prove they're true warriors and real American heroes.
The Fighting 99, the Tuskegee Airmen racked up distinguished records that exceeded all other fighter groups, escorting bombers. In spite of their achievements, the program was under threat of cancellation until First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt came here to Moton Field and took a ride in this airplane with Charles Anderson, known to his men as Chief. Chief Anderson is an amazing pioneer, now considered the father of African American aviation.
(sound of airplane engine) Moton Field in Alabama was chosen as the training center, smack dab in the middle of the Jim Crow South. They trained over a thousand pilots, 14,000 navigators, bombardiers, instructors, aircraft and engineer mechanics and control tower operators. It was a huge undertaking and a chance for African Americans to prove that they were more than capable and just as equal to the task as any white person.
The Tuskegee Airmen known to history as the Famous Red Tails, flew the P51s and in early 1944, shot down 12 German fighter planes in two days. They were proving themselves every time they went into the air and when the other Tuskegee squadrons joined them, they became the 332nd Fighter Group. (sound of airplane engine) Now imagine a generation later, another black fighter pilot was sitting in his F-4 Phantom over North Vietnam.
It was the Tuskegee Airmen that had inspired him and this is his story. Dr. Bill Winston grew up in Tuskegee, Alabama, and he would watch the men training at the base. He went to school with their kids. He saw the pilots as men, larger than life. - Okay. Tuskegee Airmen, kind of interesting. When I was a kid, we were the children of the actual airmen. Danny James, his father was Chappy James. Danny and I who played together.
As a matter of fact, I kind of liked Danny's sister Denise in elementary school. And also those people who went on to be top pilots and flyers in Tuskegee Airmen, they were the fathers of us. - It was in a plane just like this, a Piper Cub, that Bill Winston took his first plane ride and amazingly Chief Anderson was the pilot. - And we all were raised together. When I was very young, we had my first airplane.
I remember it was a bright yellow, single engine prop airplane, what we call a tail dragger. It set up real high in the front and so forth. And we flew at Moton Field. Moton Field was at that time the training place for the Tuskegee Airmen. Now they had another air airfield, about 20,000 people employed over there about three to five miles east. And so that was the main base, but the training base was here. So I used to go out there every Sunday or so.
Dad would take me after church and we'd see... Man, "Look at those people fly." So one day I got my first ride and that was it. I was hooked. Amen. - It was here on the campus of Tuskegee University in the Air Force ROTC program that Bill Winston's future as a pilot began to take shape. Perhaps because of Booker T. Washington's vision and hard work, Tuskegee University was a unique place. It was almost an incubator of greatness.
- When I was in ROTC in my last year, we could take some pre-training before we went to pilot training for the military. And so we weren't in the air force yet, but we were in the ROTC. And so they let us get some training. And the person that trained me is the same one that trained the Tuskegee Airmen years ago. His name is Chief Anderson. So he was still flying. He may be about close to 85 years old at that time, but just could fly. He could fly as well as anybody else. Well, I flew the F-4.
It was a fighter, all weather fighter bomber. It carried a lot of ordinates or weapons and so forth. This was in Southeast Asia during the time of Vietnam conflict. That's mainly where I flew, but you have to do a lot of training before you get there. As a matter of fact, just radar school alone is three months, going to radar school in that airplane, very sophisticated fighter. Now they went on to the F-15 and F-22 and so forth until an F-35. But this was it.
It's a high performance, almost go twice the speed of sound. It could do all kinds of things. And you had to learn to think quickly. And you had to also learn to think as a team. One, teamwork makes the dream work. Secondly, you had to be able to have skill and precision. You had to have skill and precision to really fly it because in theater in Vietnam, most of your flights you have to air refuel. So you take off from your base and you go air refuel.
Now that's a time where you actually have to get your gas in the air. So you have to really have a airplane that's steady that you could be able to let the boomer on the large refueling airplane connect up. And to do that, you have to develop some skill because when you get all the weapons on the airplane becomes very unstable because your center of gravity has shifted. So you have to know how to do that.
People who first come in many times sometimes have problems doing it the first or second time. You ride with them and teach them how to do it. But then also understanding that no one's left behind. You don't leave anybody behind. If somebody gets shot down, you're going to cover them until we jolly green in there, helicopter somebody to get him, pick him up because the enemy is closing in on him.
War is kind of an interesting thing because some people, "Well, in war and people getting killed and so forth." The Bible says until even the last days, you're going to have the wars and rumors of war. I mean, that's just the way it is. And so people try to avoid it, true enough. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, it says in Ecclesiastics chapter 10, I think it is. But the idea about it is that war is out there.
And when you look a person eye-to-eye, they have one goal in mind if they're the enemy. It's one goal. So I think we did that. So I can came back decorated for my performance in combat. But I learned something. I learned when you go over there, you're all one team. There's no black or white or whatever. You're all one team and these are your teammates. And these are people who you want to have skills in that profession.
In other words, you don't want somebody to just have a fighter assigned to them because they're different color or this color we want to equal out. No, that's not the place you play that game. You got to get people who have performing skills and you want to make sure they have skills, because they're going to have to lead. And when you get to lead and you'll tell what's really in somebody's heart or how they're thinking or what kind of performance and skill they have when they get in combat.
When the pressure really gets on, decisions that they make and so forth like that. So I learned in those environments. I think that trip one year in the Vietnam conflict has taught me so much, more almost than most of my lifetime because it's amazing how you begin to see yourself like you really are. You're truthful with yourself as you face these times that you could actually get shot down and not live. So you're first to thine own self be true and so you do that.
But you develop so much more in terms of decision making and quick thinking and so forth and so on. So it was a real experience for me, but I learned so much. I could see how the Tuskegee Airmen during their time, people thought that they couldn't perform because of being African American, but it turned out to be some of the best pilots in the military. And it's because they had some of the best trainers. - Dr. Winston used what he learned in the Air Force in the civilian world.
Discipline, determination, and an ability to overcome obstacles, made him a successful salesman for IBM. - Well, going into computers at IBM first was a decision. I have to kind of tell you why I made that decision. Now at that time, the military, they keep me away from home. And I was trying to raise a family so I decided to get out. At first, I was going to go with American Airlines. I made the agreement with them in there and I looked at the pay that you started at.
I said, no, that's not enough. So I started looking around. Because I was in biology and in pre-med, I looked around to get a job first in biological research. IIT, Illinois Institute of Technology, I went and they wanted me to get a job there and, and a couple other places. But I ended up in computers with IBM. And so I served that because I liked the fact that they wore blue suit and a white shirt and so forth. Well, I was used to a uniform. But I remember my first interview with them.
I went, I didn't have any clothes. I just had military clothes. So somebody bought me a green golf jacket, just like, they'd give to Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus. This light green golf jacket. So I went to interview in that jacket, because that's all I had. I went to interview and the person who interviewed me was a marketing manager. At that time they really weren't hiring. So what happened is I interview with him and he said, "Can you wait just a minute?"
And I said, "Yeah." So he left me in the office, went down the hall and came back. This was in Chicago and One IBM Plaza, right in the middle of city. He said, "My boss isn't in. He needs to talk to you. I think you're what we want." Just like this. Just one call in a green golf jacket. But I was righteous. I wasn't afraid of anything. I had faced being shot at. I had developed my confidence in who I was. He saw through that green golf jacket, that this was something that they wanted.
So he set up a time for me to come back a couple of days later and I came back and the boss man was there who ran the whole branch office for Chicago. He interviewed me. He said, "Hey, I think we want to offer you a job, but I want one more person to see you." He took me up at the 38th floor and, and a guy named Mr. Lautenbach, who was a regional manager at that time. They interviewed me and offered me some money. My only regret is that I put the starting salary that I would accept too low.
I put that too low. If I had just known, but I wasn't familiar with the business world. This was my first opportunity to work in the business world. So as a result of that, I took it and I went to training. Because people saw leadership in me, I was president of three other classes. The class would last maybe six weeks or something, president three and then vice president one. But that leadership piece of the military was still coming out and it was natural.
Leadership, it's more than just teaching in terms of leadership. It has to do with everything and your decision making and how you carry yourself. But people see your confidence. This whole confidence piece is big. It's in the Bible in Hebrews. It's big. Don't set aside your confidence as great recompense of reward for you have needed patience. After you've done the will of God, you'll receive the promise. So confidence in ourselves. And that came from Tuskegee, by the way.
That came from all the way down in grade school. So as we move forward then, now I've done well. I've done well as the top salesman there in Chicago, downtown office. And then I went to Chicago to larger region and I was top manager there. And then going on and now God is calling me. Yeah, I got promoted to Minnesota, to regional market manager job there. And that's when it really got strong. I'm saved now. How did I get saved? Well, when I first started, I wasn't doing well.
That was right after training and they gave me a territory. And they gave me a territory that had to do with marketing to non-profits. Could be medical associates, it could be whatever have you. And I said, "Wait a minute. Now I thought you all going to give me medical, something that was kin to my background in college." They said, "Well, we were, but the person who has that has not left yet. We have to give you this." And in my mind, I said, "Okay, now see, that's what's happening.
See it's a prejudice and blah, blah, blah. So what happened was my background of achievement kicked in and said, "I can do this." And so not only that, but I saw that I was missing something. And that's when I cried out one night to the Lord, I said, "God, would you please help me?" Now I'd been in church down in Tuskegee in Mount Olive Baptist church. But church wasn't in me. And that's when I found out that you could be religious but really not righteous. So what happened was I went ahead.
That night that I cried out to God, about two or three days later a lady came by my place at work. She said, "Hey, Bill, you want to go out with me tonight," tomorrow night or whatever it was. I said, "Yeah." I'm single, she's single. Looked good. I said, "Yeah." Well, she took me out all right. North side of Chicago, went into a schoolyard and went to the back door of an auditorium and people in there holding their hands up, praising God. Whoa, what is this?
And then next thing I know, a brother grabbed me and hugged me and said, "Jesus loves you brother." In that night, I got born again. When I got born again and filled with a Holy Spirit, everything changed. Everything. I mean, my performance began to climb. I no longer saw people as my enemy. And all of that, I used the principles of discipline and all those things that I learned and teamwork and the scriptures, because you have to have those things in business.
And so the next thing you know, I did very, very well got promoted once, got promoted again, promoted again. So now it's time for the ministry. Now I am using that Word of God. My sister calls one time. She was with the company as well, IBM. And she said, "How are you doing this month brother?" I said, "Well" ... I didn't want to tell her because I was zero business. The people who worked for me hadn't brought in a thing because the recession was on.
I said, "You call me back at five o'clock today. I'll have so much business, I can't put it on the books." Wow. Now what am I doing? I'm using the principle of Kingdom of God as taught by Charles Capps and Dr. Fred Price and Brother Kenneth Copeland, and some of the others. I'm using these principles now and they're taking me to the top in every level that I get to. So when I said that, I said it and hung the phone up because it was just a word of... given by faith.
And next thing you know, my marketing rep started bringing in business and starting at 12 o'clock. At five o'clock I had so much business, I was booking it. My boss came and leaned over my shoulder because I had booked enough for me, enough for the other manager, enough for the other manager, enough for the other manager, enough for the ... And he said, "That's enough Bill. Let's save something next month." So that's the miracles that God was doing.
Years later, one of the marketing managers remembered that and came and got born again at this massive church that we had started here in Chicago. So my point to you is that this thing got so strong on me. I said, everybody needs this. And then God called me under Isaiah. He said, "Who will go for me?" And I heard it just as plain. And I said, "Lord, here am I. Send me." I can still feel that right now, send me. And that's when I gave my myself to God's will totally of what He wanted me to do.
So he brought me in ministry and I came and told my boss, "John I'm leaving the company." And John said, "You're what?" He jumped up, closed the door, because I'd climbed fairly high up. And they were trying to be able to take the performance of certain people who were African-American and really put them in positions of real top management. But with me saying, I'm leaving ... Oh my goodness. That was under his watch. He said, "Well, you can't do it." He said, "Bill,
take two weeks off." He thought something I'd just been working too hard. Well, I took two weeks off and it got stronger because God was calling me. So I came in and told him. I said, "John, I'm leaving." I said, "And here's the deal. I got to leave now." "Oh Bill." So I left. When I left people thought, "Oh he's gotten religious or something." Well it wasn't that. Years later, one of the people called me back and said, "Hey Bill Winston, I heard you had this business school.
Any way I could get in that school." Now this is one of the people who thought I was leaving because I had just gotten religious as they say. But no, I had received my calling and there's no nothing like it. He's hard to resist. - But it was when he heard the call of God that this warrior began, what would become an amazing list of victory events for the Kingdom of God. - And there's nothing like it. He's hard to resist. And so what happened is I got out and I started.
The Bible said don't despise humble beginnings, started small. Came to Chicago with about $200 in my family, no place to stay. Dear Sister Beverly took us into her home. And she said, "God said, keep you until you get started." And we started in a little place. I made just a storefront and 11th Precinct of Chicago, which is the worst crime ridden place that you can get. That's where we started. - We have to get God back at the center of America.
If you're convinced of this but don't see how God can use you for his purpose, well, you can make a difference. Listen to this. - Time and time again, God seems to bring you to a place where you need Him. In other words, He gives you the impossible to do. And if you're really following Him and walk of faith, faith is designed for the impossible. I have seen Him over and over again.
We stayed at Sister Beverly's and for some reason, every time we tried to get out and get our own place, the car would break down and we'd need to pay $600 for that and so forth. So pretty soon I just cried out to God. I said, "Lord, what do I do?" He told me to go on a fast for three days. Then He spoke to me at the end of that. He said, "Decree what you want." Well, I had learned that in that business world and I said, "We'll be out and moving and have our own place
in seven days." And do you know, miracles started happening. Seven days, we're out, we had our own place. So I've seen the faithfulness of God, but He wants you to do it by faith. And sometimes what people are doing is they're looking for either some ... Like they said three dogs that bark the Star Spangled Banner before they'll know that's God. No, no, no, no, no. It's interesting about that. God wants you to walk by His Word. His Word is the proof that He wants to give you.
So we have to learn that because getting it asked, "Hey, if this is you, then show me a sign." You got to watch that because when you get on up in the ministry of what God is calling you to do, sometimes the enemy comes into that natural area and does some things. And "Oh, that must have been God." The best way you could do it is Mark 11:24. "Whatsoever things you desire when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them."
And just trust God, trust His Word, move out and you'll see that every time God will give you His faithfulness and you will see His deliverance. So He has never really let us down. Anytime that I've made a mistake, I made a mistake because I didn't listen to God. Any time I've made a mistake. So yes.
(sound of airplane engine) - This has been such an amazing story of a hero, overcoming, a victory and an inspiration, a legacy of the faith and courage of our fathers, of every American and truly a be-the-one story for every Christian. You too can answer that call. Step up and be the one to make a real change in this, your generation. (music)