Before the Tuskegee Airmen, There Was Eugene “Jacques” Bullard

America’s first Black combat aviator fought in WWI for France

By Daniel Lagiovane

Published February 3, 2025

Read Time: 3 mins

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Editor’s note: This is the first of a series honoring aviation pioneers during Black History Month.

Eugene “Jacques” Bullard (1895-1961), America’s first Black combat aviator, pre-dated the famous Tuskegee Airmen by three decades.

Bullard was born in Columbus, Georgia, the seventh of 10 children. At age 11, he ran away from home to join a band of nomadic performers after witnessing his father almost being lynched.

In 1912, at age 17, he stowed away on a German merchant ship, landing in Aberdeen, Scotland. While in Scotland, he started a career in boxing, which allowed him to travel around Europe.

Bullard was in Paris when World War I broke out and joined the French Foreign Legion as a machine gunner. He saw combat on the Somme front.