Henry A. Wise Jr. (May 26, 1920 – May 2, 2003) was an American

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and World War II

Tuskegee Airman The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Arm ...

fighter pilot A fighter pilot or combat pilot is a Military aviation, military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, Air-to-ground weaponry, air-to-ground combat and sometimes Electronic-warfare aircraft, electronic warfare while in the cockpit of ...

with the

99th Pursuit Squadron The 99th Flying Training Squadron (99 FTS) is a training squadron of the United States Air Force, part of the 12th Flying Training Wing (12 FTW) based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. Operating Raytheon T-1A Jayhawks, the squadron prepares ...

, 332nd Division. He was shot down over

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. After the war, he became the

medical director A medical director is a physician who provides guidance and leadership on the use of medicine in a healthcare organization. These include the emergency medical services, hospital departments, blood banks, clinical teaching services, and others. ...

Bowie State University Bowie State University (Bowie State or BSU) is a public historically black university in Prince George's County, Maryland, north of Bowie. It is part of the University System of Maryland. Founded in 1865, Bowie State is Maryland's oldest his ...

Early life

Wise was born in

Cheriton, Virginia Cheriton is a town in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 486 at the 2020 census. History Eyre Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on Ma ...

, and he graduated from the all black private school,

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

Career

From 1942 to 1946 served as a pilot in the Tuskegee Airmen. Wise's plane was shot down over Romania near the Ploesti oilfields. He spent three months as a prisoner of war. In 1955 Wise left his family practice to work as a physician at Prince George's Hospital Center. At that time Wise was the only African American physician. He went on to become the medical director at Bowie State University Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School was approved by the Board of Education for

Prince George's County Public Schools Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a public school district that serves Prince George's County, Maryland. During the 2023–24 academic year, the district enrolled around 133,000 students and operated over 200 schools. PGCPS is t ...

in 2005.

Death

Wise suffered a heart attack and died at Prince George's Hospital Center on May 2, 2003.

Awards

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

*Certificate of Valor for Courage in Combat *

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2006 * Pioneer Award for Distinguished Service and Historic Achievement. *

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

References

Notes

External links

Fly Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

(2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
Tuskegee Airmen
at

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

Tuskegee Airmen Archives
at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

Libraries.
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

(

U.S. National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all national parks; most national monuments; and other natural, historical, and recreational p ...

)
Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise Jr., Henry 1920 births 2003 deaths African-American physicians Physicians from Maryland American World War II flying aces Aviators from Virginia People from Cheriton, Virginia Recipients of the Air Medal Tuskegee Airmen United States Army Air Forces officers African-American aviators American prisoners of war in World War II 21st-century African-American people