The solemn sound of a lone bugler filled the air, as friends and family paid their final respects to World War II fighter pilot Clarence Dart.
"I met Dart in 1944 in Italy. I was a member of the famous black 366 infantry," says World War II veteran Ralph Boyd. "I'm happy I came here to bare witness. I bore witness to an individual who gave it all."
Dart was an original Tuskegee Airman, one of the first black pilots in American history. He saw combat overseas as part of the 99th Fighter Squadron, escorting bombers into enemy territory.
We spoke with Dart at a ceremony back in 2008. He described one such mission in Italy, where he narrowly escaped a crash after his plane caught fire. Rather than bail out, Dart landed in friendly territory and made it back to base.
"Sometimes, when I'm really thinking about it, I'm wondering how did you get out of there," Dart told us that day. "I don't know I was just blessed."
His son, Warren Dart, says those that knew his father are the ones that are blessed. He says he would be humbled by today's military honors.
"He just wanted to be a pilot," he says. "He just wanted to serve his country."
"I believe right now he's flying and right now he's in the place where we all know he should be," says veteran and friend Bill Wicks. "He's with the lord."
