the U.S. government trained the nation 's first black military aviators at Moton in what it labeled a military experiment . Before that time , African-Americans `` were believed to be incapable of flying complex combat aircraft , '' Park Ranger John Whitfield said . Watch more on Moton Field '' The aviators were trained in every aspect of their combat aircraft , from flight to maintenance . They made their mark during World War II by not losing a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions -- a record unmatched by any other fighter group . Moton Field was declared a historical site in 1998 , and the National Park Service has gone through painstaking efforts to restore and rebuild its hangars and outbuildings , which were used by more than 15,000 men and women from 1942 to 1946 . iReport.com : Share your meaningful road trips The site now offers only a small visitor 's center in a temporary trailer as construction and restoration are completed . The `` Tuskegee experience , '' as park rangers call it , will officially open in October , when Hangar One , and eventually Hangar Two ,
TUSKEGEE , Alabama -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A trip through sweltering Alabama to experience some of the civil rights movement 's most important sites brought history books to life for my family and me . A marker shows the 54-mile route from Selma to Montgomery , Alabama , that voting rights marchers took . The road trip , with my wife and 14-year-old son , was an extraordinary experience , and not only because I 'm African-American . As an American , it was inspiring to experience the places where people fought and died for equality and the right to vote . Many of the places we visited are maintained by the National Park Service , which has made an extraordinary effort to preserve pivotal places related to the movement . When you think of national parks , great natural attractions like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon come to mind . But the National Park System has also preserved and restored many living history sites from the civil rights movement . We started our road trip at Moton Field in Tuskegee , the site of one of the early battles in the civil rights movement . In the 1940s ,