MS trailblazer a man of many firsts

VICKSBURG, Miss. - Brady Tonth Jr. is a trailblazer in Mississippi black history having come from humble beginnings in the Mississippi Delta. He became an Air Force pilot and captained the first all-black flight crew. After serving in the AF, he became a pilot with American Airlines in 1986, and was a member of the first all-black flight crew to pilot a commercial airliner. A member of the Mississippi Valley State University AFROTC, Lt. Tonth became the first ROTC black pilot to be commissioned an officer after graduating from MVSU in 1973. He was assigned to Columbus (Miss.) Air Force Base and became the first black trainee from Mississippi to complete the Air Force Pilot Training School. He later joined the Mississippi Air National Guard in 1979 and became the first black pilot to fly for the MANG. He spent 20 years of service in the armed forces, serving in Desert Storm/Desert Shield. He earned the distinction of being the first black pilot to carry transport survival goods to a major war zone during Desert Storm. He retired from the AF with the rank of major. Now in retirement, the Vicksburg native and his wife Fannie, who were married during Tonth’s senior year at MSVU, still live in Vicksburg. (Source: Magnolia State Live 02/03/19)