Captain Theodore G. Lumpkin Jr. of Los Angeles served as an intelligence officer for the U.S. Army Air Corps’ 100th Fighter Squadron, or Tuskegee Airmen. (Photo: AP News)
Former Tuskegee Airman and World War II veteran Capt. Theodore G. Lumpkin Jr. of Los Angeles passed away on Dec. 26, according to an announcement made by the Los Angeles City College on Jan. 8. Lumpkin was 100 years old at the time of his passing, only a few days away from his 101st birthday.
Lumpkin was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1942 and soon after was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron—better known as the famed Tuskegee Airman—an all-black unit that fought Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in the European theater of WWII.
Lumpkin was recently featured in the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ documentary “Unsung Heroes of the Greatest Generation.”
In the documentary, Lumpkin speaks of his time in Italy, where the Tuskegee Airmen were tasked with escorting Allied bombers attacking Axis targets throughout Western Europe. He notes that his goals during the war were twofold. One, to help win the war, and two, to help “better the lot” of black Americans still facing segregation and discrimination at home.
According to a recent Los Angeles Times interview with his family, Lumpkin earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He worked as a social worker for Los Angeles County until he retired years later and began a new career in real estate.
Lumpkin was “able to live life on his own terms.” He frequently traveled, meeting with President Barack Obama in 2007 and enjoying his favorite spots until testing positive for COVID-19 late in 2020. He later succumbed to complications caused by the virus.
Lumpkin is survived by his wife, two sons and daughter, grandchildren, and one great-child.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.