Award-winning Investigative Journalist · NPR
The Search for the Lost Tuskegee Airmen
A deeply reported investigation into twenty-seven Black WWII pilots who vanished over Europe — and never came home. Told by Cheryl W. Thompson, the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman.
“Honoring the missing heroes who flew for freedom against all odds.”
Forgotten Souls
Amazon Best History Books of 2026 · January–June
Cheryl W. Thompson is an investigative correspondent for NPR and an associate professor of journalism at George Washington University, where she has taught investigative reporting since 2013. Before NPR, she spent 22 years at The Washington Post, covering criminal justice, political corruption, guns, and the White House.
She was the first African American president of Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) — elected to an unprecedented three terms — and has served as a Pulitzer Prize juror. Her work has been part of two Pulitzer Prize–winning teams at the Post, and she has earned a Regional Emmy, five National Headliner Awards, three IRE Awards, and more than forty journalism honors in all.
Of the roughly one thousand Tuskegee Airmen, twenty-seven Black pilots flew into combat over Europe and never returned — and all but two were never found. In Forgotten Souls, Thompson examines who these men were, why their planes went down, and the weight their disappearances left on the families they left behind.
It is narrative nonfiction at its most rigorous and most personal — a work of investigation and remembrance that finally gives these aviators the reckoning history denied them.
“We haven't forgotten about your dad. We haven't forgotten about your brother. We haven't forgotten about your uncle.”
Cheryl W. Thompson · NPR
This search began at home. Cheryl is the daughter of William E. Whitlow Jr., a Tuskegee Airman. Born in Dallas and raised on Chicago's South Side, he enlisted in 1942, was appointed an aviation cadet, and was ordered to the Tuskegee Army Flying School in Alabama.
A gifted athlete — the only Black member of his college swim team — and a strong student praised by his flight-training detachment, he was one of the men who earned their wings against a country that doubted them. His legacy is the thread that pulled his daughter toward the airmen the record forgot. They were so young, from 20 to 28 years old, with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and so proud to fight for their country.
William E. Whitlow Jr.
Tuskegee Airman · Cheryl's father
The Forgotten Souls book tour showcases Cheryl W. Thompson's appearances at conferences, community gatherings, and speaking events. Join her as she shares the powerful story of the Tuskegee Airmen and the lasting legacy they left behind.
More tour dates will be added. Watch this space.
“Poignant, bittersweet lives of unsung and overlooked American heroes.”
“Beautifully honors a group of American heroes whose courage and sacrifice have never been properly recognized.”
“A tenacious reporting journey that illuminates a part of American history too often relegated to the shadows.”
“Thompson restores to vivid life black men whose valor has gone unknown and uncelebrated for far too long.”
“At times heart-wrenching and at times hopeful, Thompson hammers home the idea that the ones who leave us are never really gone.”
“It's a kitchen table with all the chairs pulled up and all the elders sharing their heartaches. Reading these men's stories is one way to honor them and their families.”
“This powerful book blends history and humanity… a vital contribution to both WWII scholarship and African American history.”
“She has given their descendants a gift of discovery in reminding us all of the heroism these Black pilots showed during battle.”
“These courageous unsung heroes deserve their place in history now more than ever.”
“Thompson has pieced together the poignant stories of her father's comrades who went missing during the war, honoring their sacrifice in a beautiful work of loving remembrance.”
Available now
Order Cheryl W. Thompson's investigation into the lost Tuskegee Airmen from your favorite bookseller.
Hardcover · 240 pages · ISBN 978-1-4967-5077-8