Fascinating example of how social media works today… (LONG POST) Saw a display in the BHM airport honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. Like 99.999% of Americans, I’m Team 🇺🇸… especially over Nazis. Posted it. Most responses were what you’d expect likes, RTs, patriotism. Then the algorithm shifted. Started seeing a wave of replies saying: “Tuskegee success was a myth. Just PR. DEI BS” The argument? They had fewer aerial kills than other escort groups, so therefore it was all BS. So I paused and did a real deep dive looked for actual historical data from the official Air Force accounts and historians. Here’s what I found…. They were right. They did have less aerial kills the other fighter groups. However….. The SAME data being used to discredit them tells a completely different story if you read the whole reports. Yes, they had fewer kills. But here’s the data that they omitted: Bombers lost under escort (same theater, same aircraft): • Tuskegee Airmen: 27 • Other groups: ~49, 68, 88 That’s not spin. That’s the mission. Escort fighters weren’t there to run up kill counts, they were there to protect bombers. And by that measure, the 332nd was one of the most effective groups in the war. Why did they have less aerial kills? Was it because they were less skilled? Historians pointed out the 332nd was known for staying disciplined and stuck with the bombers while others groups tended to often peel off chasing kills. So both things can be true: • Fewer kills • More bombers protected But here’s the social media lesson: Same report. Same data. One side cherry-picks “lowest kills” = “they weren’t good” But they “conveniently” left out the part where they protected bombers better than anyone. What I observed? 2 things. 1) Most of the accounts pushing the “myth” angle? Burner accounts, fake names…,people that hid behind a vague account names 2) Setting the record straight wasn’t the goal of the “myth” posters, it was for them to get their personal beliefs off without the actual information they claimed to have used. Anyway… Team America 🇺🇸🫡