Quick Facts
Biography
LeRoy Battle (December 31, 1921 - March 28, 2015) was a World War II pilot, teacher, and jazz musician. He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and was one of the African American officers involved in the Freeman Field Mutiny.
World War II
Battle was selected as one of the African American pilots to join the Tuskegee Airmen. After his training at Tuskegee, he served in the European theater and, upon his return to the states, was sent to Freeman Field in Indiana to prepare for deployment to the Pacific theater. While at Freeman Field, the black pilots were arrested for attempting to enter the segregated whites-only officers' club. Battle recalls of the incident:
After the war
Battle became an educator at Douglass High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and established himself as a jazz musician, leading the band LeRoy Battle and the Altones.
Anti-segregationist
While an educator at Douglass High School, Battle tried to fight segregation in the Washington Redskins organization. He wanted the team's marching band and cheerleaders, the Redskinettes, to be desegregated. Battle encouraged two of his band members to audition for the Washington Redskins band. Both men complained about the application process; they claimed the Redskins organization wasn’t sending out applications to African Americans. Joel Margolis, the Redskins business manager said “That not many colored apply, Last year we had fifty one tryouts and only one was colored.” Mr. Battle said that advertising towards colored applicants were being ignored by the Redskins.
Jazz musician
While fighting with the Redskins, Battle continue to create music with his own jazz band. LeRoy Battle and the Altones became a very famous band in Maryland. They were given a regularly scheduled gig on the Tony Kornheiser show on ESPN Radio.