Red Tails, opening January 20, 2012, shares the brave story of the Tuskegee Airmen. In this film, starring Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding, Jr., Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, an African American crew of pilots rise above racial prejudice to become heroes in World War II.

It's a story common to many African Americans who served in the Armed Forces during World War II and the Vietnam War. In this feature, Beliefnet highlights the careers of five men who went above and upon the call of duty in their military achievements and broke barriers of racial discrimination.