She just saw the movie "Red Tails" for the first time last week, and today Yvonne Alexander of Orlando saw six of the pilots in real life at the Orlando Science Center.
The nation's first monument to the Tuskegee Airmen who flew the fighter planes during World War II was dedicated on this Veterans Day.
"You know they had to go through the typical racism that was common back then, but they prevailed and proved they had it in them," she said.
The movie inspired her to be here today. "They saved a lot of lives," she said.
Also at the gathering was airshow fan Keith Dingle of Orlando who brought along a model of the P-51C Mustang plane. On it's wings and fuselage were signatures from Red Tail pilots he's met over the years, including the six honored here today.
"I got goosebumps, literally," he said of being able to approach, meet the pilots and get their autographs.
There were more than 900 pilots trained at Tuskegee, Ala., of whom 356 airmen were considered an elite group of fighter pilots that were sent to various bases in Europe.
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