Mukilteo Musings

My Favorite Inauguration Story

George Hickman, age 84 of Seattle, has been invited to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration. Mr. Hickman was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the segregated black air force that served and bravely fought during WW2. They were not allowed to be mixed with the regular Air Force made up exclusively of white men. When they returned from the war, they were excluded from victory celebrations, parades, and in fact were spat upon. This story affected me because my own father would now be 85 and he served in the Air Force during WW2 as well. But of course since he was white, his experience was totally different after the war. He had been a POW but was considered a hero and received benefits to go to college where all of the veterans were held in high regard.

Mr. Hickman is taking his 22 year old grandson with him. Get this: Mr. Hickman's grandparents were slaves in our country. Just think about that. His Grandma and Grandpa were slaves and he has the opportunity to attend the swearing in of the first African American president of the United States.

Mr. Hickman worked at Boeing for 29 years. His current job is as host and usher for the UW Huskies which I assume he does for fun. He is loved in the athletic department and they took up a collection for him so he would have the funds to get to Washington D.C.

What a great story and what stories he must have about his life experiences!
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008638983_webairmen16.html