Free Republic

HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Three World War II veterans, all members of the Tuskegee Airmen, will be guest of a Hattiesburg doctor at Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama. Dr. Robert Higginbotham, Reginald Ballard and Robert J. Searcy, all of Los Angeles, didn't have transportation to the historic event. Stanley Saulny, M.D. Dr. Lynn McMahan

TUSKEGEE, Ala. - Lt. Col. Herbert Carter is 86 years old and ready for deployment. More than 60 years after his World War II tour with the pioneering black pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, Carter's new mission will be shorter, though no less courageous. Carter is one of seven aging Tuskegee Airmen traveling this weekend to Balad, Iraq — a city ravaged by roadside bombs and insurgent activity — to inspire a younger generation of airmen who carry on the traditions of the storied 332nd Fighter Group. "I don't think it hurts to have someone who can empathize with...