Ten years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Ala., 101 Tuskegee Airmen were arrested for trying to enter an all-white officers club at Freeman Field, Ind.
Next month, a number of those surviving airmen -- including four from Pittsburgh -- will attend the inauguration of the first black president of the United States.
For the all-black corps of elite pilots who endured segregation and discrimination in and out of the Air Force, it will be a bittersweet event in a lifelong struggle for civil rights. Time has not dulled the pain of racial prejudice for men in their 80s and 90s.
"It means so much to me, my family, my mother, my great-grandmother," said Pittsburgh attorney Wendell Freeland, wiping away tears. His great-grandmother was freed as a slave by her owner June 4, 1850.
More than 80 men from Southwestern Pennsylvania served as Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. They came from the Hill District, North Side and Homewood-Brushton. Eight were from Sewickley. Others came from Mars, Yukon, McKeesport, Glassport and Washington.
At least 15 local airmen flew 300 combat missions over North Africa, Italy and Germany during World War II. Five were killed when they were shot down during aerial combat.
President-elect Barack Obama acknowledged his debt to the Tuskegee Airmen in 2007 when they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress to recognize people who perform an outstanding deed of service to security, prosperity and national interest.
"My career in public service was made possible by the path heroes like the Tuskegee Airmen trail-blazed," Obama said.
The men who faced court-martial in March 1945 for challenging Freeman Field's segregation policy didn't think they were setting a precedent.
"At that time, we didn't know it would escalate into what it is now," said William Hicks, 88, of Swissvale, who is excited about being part of the inauguration.
"It took me 88 years to realize this day," he said.
University of Pittsburgh historian Donald Goldstein said the trip will be "a great pilgrimage" for men who have come so far.
"They had to put up with a lot of crap. It must be heartwarming for them," he said.
Obama's election "is putting some signposts in the road of life for all of us that can't be ignored ever again," said William Bailey, 90, who grew up in the Hill District, was a track star at Pitt and went on to become assistant superintendent of the Los Angeles School District.
Bailey, who lives in Chino Hills, Calif., won't be attending the inauguration.
For Calvin Smith, 84, of Beaver Falls, his first inauguration will be special.
"It's the chance of a lifetime, and to see an African-American inaugurated," said Smith, one of those arrested at Freeman Field.
More than 300 Tuskegee Airmen are alive, but some are too frail to travel.
The Tuskegee Airmen arrested at Freeman Field received letters of reprimand for conduct unbecoming an officer, failure to obey a lawful order, and breach of good order and discipline.
Freeland, then 20, helped draft the airmen's response to those letters, calling racial bias "fascistic" and "un-American."
In 1948, President Harry Truman ended segregation in all armed forces, and in 1995, the Air Force threw out the letters of reprimand and apologized for the arrests.
Former Sewickley resident Mitchell Higginbotham, 87, of Dana Point, Calif., was one of those arrested at Freeman Field. Racial bias extended well beyond that airfield, he said.
While on leave, he and another airman landed at National Airport in Washington and were looking for something to eat, Higginbotham said. They were told they couldn't eat at the main restaurants and were ushered to the basement to eat with the workers.
He said he feels a kinship with Obama.
"I feel all kinds of emotions. I could write a book about what Barack Obama's election means," said Higginbotham, who won't be going to Washington.
But Hicks is packing his bags. He bought some long underwear to help protect his aging joints from the cold.
"I may need a little WD40," he joked.
Additional Information:Notable Tuskegee Airmen
⢠George Brown -- Lieutenant governor of Colorado
⢠Marvin Dimonally -- Congressman from Los Angeles
⢠John Rogers -- Lawyer and judge in Chicago
⢠Percy Sutton -- President of Manhattan Borough
⢠Coleman Young -- Mayor of Detroit
