Former Tuskegee Airman Alfred Thomas Farrar died on Thursday in Lynchburg only days before a ceremony planned to honor his service in the program that famously trained Black military pilots during World War II. He was 99. Farrar’s son, Roy, says his father died at his Lynchburg home. Alfred Farrar would have turned 100 years old on Dec. 26. Farrar left his Lynchburg hometown for Tuskegee, Alabama, after graduating from high school to began his aviation training in 1941. His son says Farrar learned to be a pilot during his time in U.S. Army Air Corps program but didn’t fly any combat missions overseas. Area veterans will honor Farrar’s life and legacy on Friday at their weekly Support the Troops rally at Monument Terrace.
Original: Christmas Day this year falls on Friday. It will mark the 995th Friday in a row that veterans and patriots have gathered at Monument Terrace downtown. This year they will honor the life and service of a Lynchburg World War II hero. Lynchburg resident Alfred T. Farrar Sr., who will be 100 years old on December 26. Mr. Farrar served with the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the World War II African American combat aviation unit made famous by the Hollywood movie “Red Tails”. The troop rally is from 12 to 1.