COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine, March 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) announces its curriculum now includes lesson plans for students in kindergarten through 8th grade highlighting the accomplishments and legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. The WAA TEACH program, spearheaded by retired educator and Gold Star Mother Cindy Tatum, aims to equip educators with a service-based curriculum to instill the values of freedom and honor in students nationwide.
The Tuskegee Airmen lesson plans are available to download for free on the organization’s Educational Resources Page.
The Tuskegee Airmen lesson plans focus on the first African American combat pilots who served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II. In January 1939, President Roosevelt asked Congress to pass legislation to authorize a permanent Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) Program. The Civilian Pilot Training Act of 1939 was passed in June 1939, the legislation included a provision not to exclude anyone based on race. In March 1941, President Roosevelt officially activated the all-black World War II fighter squadron. The men trained at Moton Field and Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, going on to become some of the best and most sought-after pilots in the Army Air Corp. The Tuskegee Airmen not only fought the war abroad, but the war for equality at home. Their excellent combat record protecting American bombers from enemy fighters helped pave the way for Truman’s desegregation of the military in 1948.
“Despite all the obstacles the Tuskegee Airmen encountered, they persevered in pursuit of their dreams and embodied the 2025 Wreaths Across America theme ‘Keep Moving Forward,’ said Cindy Tatum, WAA TEACH Curriculum Developer and Education Liaison. “As students learn about these heroes, they will understand more about our country’s history and be inspired to follow their own dreams.”
The TEACH program encompasses materials from philanthropic and patriotic organizations, including the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, The Library of Congress Veterans History Project, The Korean War Legacy Foundation, The IKE Eisenhower Foundation, Military Child Education Coalition and the Military Order of the World Wars. Lesson plans are available for free download at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/teach. Educators and homeschoolers are encouraged to explore and incorporate the materials into their curriculum.
For more information about Wreaths Across America and how to participate in National Wreaths Across America Day on Saturday, December 13, 2025, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. To directly support the TEACH Program and help provide these free resources to classrooms and educator across the country, please donate here.
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About Wreaths Across America
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s yearlong mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
- Wreaths Across America’s TEACH Program
