Military career, circa 1930s-2008

Series II. Military Career documents Mitchell's service with the famed Tuskegee Airmen and subsequent service as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves. The Tuskegee Airmen material includes items collected by Mitchell during his service, correspondence with Jane Mitchell, and certificates of appreciation for service. Of note is documentation of a court martial conducted at Tuskegee Army Air Field and a manual used by Mitchell to instruct pilots in instrument flying. Though he did not qualify to be a pilot himself, Mitchell taught Tuskegee Airmen flyers a crucial aspect of aircraft operation. The series contains a diary kept during his first year at Tuskegee (1942), providing a glimpse into the severe discrimination faced by Mitchell and other African-Americans in the armed forces. The series also contains historical information and publicity about the Tuskegee Airmen as well as material from Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., an organization created to honor the accomplishments and perpetuate the history of the group. The second section of Series II. contains material relating primary to Mitchell's post-Tuskegee military career. Included is coursework and a certificate of completion from the Adjutant General's School at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, and a notebook containing handwritten notes and coursework created while he attended the Athletic Directors' School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The series also includes applications for enrollment in Army Extension courses while serving in the Army Reserve, information for veterans of World War II, and Army correspondence. The correspondence is composed of orders received while Mitchell was serving at Tuskegee Army Air Field, paperwork for a transfer to the Army Reserve, and letters regarding officer training.