When Grant Williams Sr. was drafted for World War II and trained at the Tuskegee Academy, he felt like he was a regular black soldier.

"We had no idea what was in store for us," he said.

The creation of the first facility to train black, military airmen paved the way not only for the desegregation of the U.S. Army, but later public schools and other entities as well, speakers said Tuesday during a special presentation at the Virginia Aviation Museum.

Williams, who's a retired chief master sergeant of Tuskegee, spoke about the academy, its historic accomplishments and the importance of remembering their works.

"Colored people have fought in all wars since the Revolutionary War, but they had never been given positions of responsibility," he told the crowd of students.

"There was a study used as an excuse that said colored people thought of themselves as inferior cowards whose brains were smaller than whites … and were not capable of flying complicated machinery like planes."

He explained how Benjamin Davis and others struggled for the right to serve their country as airmen.

"I like to think of this as a group of people who had to fight for their right to fight for their country," Williams said. "Their work paid off and played a significant role in causing Americans to change their attitudes."

Williams listed the group's numerous accomplishments, including:

w being the only unit that never lost a bomber;

w flying 1,578 missions, 200 of which were escorting bomber planes;

w having two pilots who sank a destroyer ship with machine gun fire alone, a feat that has never been done before or since;

w destroying or damaging 409 enemy aircraft in the air and on the ground;

w destroying the last four enemy aircraft in the war; and

w being awarded hundreds commendations, including distinguished medals, bronze stars, purple hearts, a silver star and presidential citations.

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder also commended Williams and the academy for its significance.

"Recognizing history is painful for some people, but you can't learn history unless you look back and if you don't, you don't know what will be," he said.

"They knew they could do the job and they proved it. We owe a great deal to these pioneers. All they had to do was fail and yet they sustained one of the most remarkable records in World War II."

Several local schools brought students to listen to the presentation, which included two short films and a question-and-answer section.

The crowd was also told about a Tuskegee-sponsored program to teach kids, even those as young as 9, to fly.

Aaliyah Taylor, 11, from Elijah House Academy, said she thought the presentation was "cool" because she had never thought about learning to fly.

Her classmates, 10-year-old Jonniece Scott and Morgan Fitzpatrick, also thought the event was cool and that it was interesting to learn about kids their age learning to fly.

Y'inez Lewis, 11, asked Williams several questions about whether women were allowed to fly.

"I learned that Bessie Coleman was the first black woman to fly and she got her license before the black men," she said. "Girls rule."

The museum will host two more events Wednesday and Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in honor of Black History Month. On Wednesday, the presentation will be about the first black combat pilot, Eugene Jacques Bullard, who flew during World War I, and Bessie Coleman, the first black person to earn a pilot's license. On Thursday, Williams will speak again.

The events are free with a paid museum admission. Admission is $5 for children ages 4-12 and seniors and $6 for adults. Virginia Aviation Museum and Science Museum of Virginia members along with children under 3 are admitted free.