(This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of Military Officer, a magazine available to all MOAA Premium and Life members. Learn more about the magazine here; learn more about joining MOAA here.)

Well into his 90s, Lt. Col. Enoch O’Dell “Woody” Woodhouse, a Tuskegee Airman and MOAA member, can still rally the troops. 

“He is a timeless man of encouragement and inspiration to everyone he comes into contact with,” said Lt. Col. Terence “T.J.” Spann, USAF (Ret), president of the Eastern Region of Tuskegee Airmen Inc.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Woodhouse’s mother encouraged him to consider military service. He took her advice, enlisted, and transitioned to Officer Candidate School. By 1946, he was serving as a finance officer as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. 

“The motivation to serve was the hope of a better life for people who look like me,” Woodhouse said. “That is why I and many others answered the call.” 

[RELATED: Tuskegee Airman Brig. Gen. Charles McGee Dies at 102]

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which was a precursor to the U.S. Air Force. Their numbers included not only pilots but also a large cadre of support staff.

“It is estimated fewer than 75 of the over 15,000 original Tuskegee Airmen are still alive today,” said Spann.

Woodhouse joined the Air Corps before the military desegregated. He faced discrimination throughout his career. 

When Woodhouse boarded a train with his classmates to report for boot camp, he was told, “This train is not for you.” It was for Whites only.

“I can still remember the humiliation and embarrassment I felt while watching the train leave without me,” he said. “My train did not arrive for another six hours.”

Woodhouse remembers every instance in which he was treated differently because of the color of his skin, but he said it only strengthened his resolve.

“The best revenge is survival,” he said. “When you have this and a few good people on your side, that is all you need.”

[RELATED: Leading the Fight: MOAA Recognizes Key Moments in African American Military History]

After World War II, Woodhouse left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve. He studied German, French, and math at Yale University. He earned a law degree from Boston University and opened his private practice in Boston.  

Woodhouse was among the hundreds of Tuskegee Airmen to receive the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush in 2007.  

“To me, this award represents an acknowledgment of a past refusal of recognition,” Woodhouse said. 

In October 2022, Boston’s Logan International Airport unveiled a mural of Woodhouse. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker promoted him twice, making him a brigadier general, and bestowed the title Attaché of the Militia of the Commonwealth. 

Looking back at some of the hardships and trials of his military career, Woodhouse delivers a fierce sense of patriotism.

“I sucked it up and served because I had faith in what America stood for,” he said. 

Today, Woodhouse keeps busy with lecture tours at universities across the U.S. and is very active as a Tuskegee Airmen Inc. advisory council member. 

“Woody has an important story to tell, and there is nothing like hearing it from him,” said MOAA member Lt. Col. Michael Wabrek, USMC (Ret), who assists Woodhouse with his public events. 

And while Woodhouse is often asked (and glad) to share his story for Black History Month, he seeks to desegregate the record books.

“It is not Black History. It is not White History,” he said. “It is American History.”