[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1676-E1677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO EIGHT SEWICKLEY WWII TUSKEGEE AIRMEN OF THE ALL AFRICAN-
                     AMERICAN 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MELISSA A. HART

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Ms. HART. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity and join 
the Daniel B. Matthews Historical Society in honoring the extraordinary 
patriotism and valor of eight Sewickley WWII Tuskegee Airmen of the all 
African-American 99th Pursuit Squadron.

[[Page E1677]]

  Often referred to as the ``Sewickley Eight'' by local historians, the 
three surviving honorees include brothers Mitchell Higginbotham and 
Robert Higginbotham, of California, and William Johnston of Ohio. Jim 
Addison, Curtis Branch, William Curtis Jr., William Gilliam and Frank 
Hailstock will be honored posthumously for their unprecedented service 
by the society as well.
  These distinguished men continued their successes after the war. In a 
period of extreme racism, these men overcame immense professional 
challenges. Mitchell Higginbotham, commissioned as a Second Lieutenant 
and pilot, now serves as an itinerant Ambassador of Goodwill for the 
Tuskegee Airmen. After serving as an expert in multi-engine aircrafts, 
Robert Higginbotham went on to become the first African-American intern 
and resident at the Sewickley Valley Hospital. William Johnston, 
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, serving as a Tuskegee pilot, went 
on to become a corporate pilot.
  The ``Sewickley Eight'' and their families will be honored on 
Thursday August 4th by the Daniel B. Matthew Society's first annual 
Founders Luncheon at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Sewickley, 
Pennsylvania. This event will take place on the opening day of the 39th 
annual Come-On-Home Weekend in Sewickley.
  I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to 
join me in honoring the brave Sewickley natives of the WWII Tuskegee 
Airmen of the all African-American. 99th Pursuit Squadron. It is an 
honor to represent the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania 
and a pleasure to salute such citizens as the Tuskegee Airmen who 
embody the spirit of patriotism.

                          ____________________