Samuel L. Broadnax graduated from Tuskegee Army Air Base with Class-45A in March 1945 as a fighter pilot. One of the celebrated Tuskegee Airmen, he was assigned to the 332nd Replacement Training Unit. He later attended Yuba College, Howard University, and the University of California, Berkeley, and has worked as a newscaster and journalist. In 2006 the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.