Robert D. Holts
IN MEMORY OR ROBERT D. HOLTS – November 6, 1924 – February 12, 2021
This year, the military community lost another one of its shining stars. Robert D Holts, last living Nebraska Tuskegee Airmen, passed away on February 12, 2021. Mr. Holts was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the second eldest of nine children. His mother and father, a veteran of World War I, impressed upon him the value of a solid education. Mr. Holt’s strong academic parlous, paved the way for him to not only serve in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942-1946 but be selected to serve as a Draftsman for the famed Tuskegee Airmen of the 332nd Fighter Group, an all-Black pilot and crew member group assigned to protect bomber aircraft in the European theater during World War II. At one point in his career, Mr. Holts drew maps and documents for Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr(ret), the Air Force’s first black general and one of the more well-known members of the Tuskegee Airmen.
Upon leaving the military, Mr. Holts resided in Detroit, Michigan where he worked as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service for over 40 years. He later moved back to Omaha to be near family. While living in Omaha, Mr. Holts was able to rekindle his love and dedication to the Tuskegee Airmen by becoming a member of the local Alfonza W. Davis Chapter, where he served as Ambassador, giving a personal account of the perils faced by those brave men and women. He was committed to “telling the story”.
On March 29, 2007, President Bush and Congress awarded Tuskegee Airmen the Congressional Gold Metal, the highest award granted to a civilian, for their service and dedication. That same year, Mr. Holts was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2021, the Omaha City Council posthumously acclaimed February 19th as Robert D. Holts Day.
On Friday, February 12, 2021, at the age of 96, Mr. Holts quietly passed away in his home at Richmond Village in Bellevue, Nebraska. In honored of a long of service and sacrifice for his country, he was laid to rest at the Omaha National Cemetery. He was the last of 16 Tuskegee Airmen originating from Nebraska.