James T. Wiley

James Thomas Wiley (August 7, 1918 – May 3, 2000) was a U.S. Army Air Forces/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails".

One of the United States' military first African American combat fighter pilots, Wiley was the first African American military combat pilot ever to land on foreign soil during combat readiness in North Africa. The Wileys' children included James T. Wiley, Carolyn Victoria Wiley (1922–2009), Logan William Wiley (1920–2010), Mary Evans Wiley (1915–2012), and William Stewart Wiley (1920–1923). Though most of his white physics classmates obtained immediate employment from large corporations, he was only able to secure a job as a chauffeur. |group=N In 1942, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps's Advanced Flight Training at the Tuskegee Army Airfield.

In April 1943, Wiley and his squadron were sent to North Africa in Casablanca. Wiley became the 99th Squadron's flight leader. On May 5, 1943: Wiley and Graham Smith were the 99th Fighter Squadron's first two P-40 pilots to land in North Africa, at Oued N’ja in French Morocco. In late 1943, Wiley and his squadron moved from North Africa to Sicily. After buying a Ducati motorcycle on the island, Wiley crashed into a truck, landing him in the hospital for several days.

Post-Military After leaving the USAF, Wiley became a USAF plant representative and customer engineer at Boeing in Seattle, Washington where he worked on the Lunar Orbiter. When Wiley moved his family into a modest residential neighborhood, his white neighbors began to sell their homes during a wave of white flight.

Wiley was a member of the Queen City Yacht Club. He also enjoyed counseling young people as a volunteer for King County Juvenile Court.

Death On May 3, 2000, Wiley died from a heart attack at his home in Seattle at the age of 81. His memorial service held at the University Unitarian Church in Seattle was attended by over 400 people and was covered by local TV news media. Wiley was interred in a non-cemetery burial.