Eugene Bullard
First African-American military pilot
尤金·布拉德 · ユージン・バラード · 유진 불러드
- Born
- 9 October 1895, Columbus
- Died
- 12 October 1961, New York City
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- boxing
- Occupation
- aircraft pilot, military personnel, boxer, French foreign legionnaire
Eugene Jacques Bullard (born Eugene James Bullard; October 9, 1895 – October 12, 1961) was one of the first African-American military pilots, although Bullard flew for France, not the United States. Bullard was one of the few Black combat pilots during World War I (along with Pierre Réjon from France, William Robinson Clarke, a Jamaican who flew for the Royal Flying Corps, Domenico Mondelli from Italy, and Ahmet Ali Çelikten of the Ottoman Empire). Also a boxer and a jazz musician, he was called "L'Hirondelle noire" in French (literally "Black Swallow").
All Blood Runs Red, a biography of Bullard by Phil Keith and Tom Clavin, was published in 2019 by Hanover Square Press.
Awards and honours
- National Aviation Hall of Fame 2020
- Combatant's Cross
- Commemorative medal for voluntary service in Free France
- Croix de guerre 1914–1918
- Croix de guerre 1939–1945
- Croix du combattant volontaire 1914-1918
- Insignia for the Military Wounded
- Inter-Allied Victory medal (France)
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914–1918
- Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945
- Médaille militaire
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q1367535 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.