Tuskegee Airmen Inspire Audience in Valentine's Day Assembly at Tyee Park Elementary

For many like Vietnam veteran Tony McCarthy, seeing the Tuskegee Airmen in Lakewood was an inspiration. As a crew chief who served between 1963 and 1967, he said the airmen represent the cream of the crop.

"These gentlemen were fighting for our freedom when they didn't have what they have today," he said. "I wouldn't have missed this for anything."

On a day when love and emotion are shared between couples, hosted a special assembly embracing diversity and the history of the Tuskegee Airmen during Black History Month.

Capt. George Hickman, a rare surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, delivered a personal account Tuesday of how he came to join the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces.

He recalled as a young boy building gasoline-powered model airplanes when he was 13 and flying them in contests. He piloted his first plane at the age of 17.

From there, he and the rest of the Tuskegee Airmen's legacy took flight.

"Set your goals like we did in flying," Hickman said.

The theme of the assembly was "Each of Us Has a Light."

Tracey Lindquist, fine arts teacher, led the fifth-grade choir through an entertaining ensemble. Mayor Douglas Richardson said Lindquist sure knows how to put on a show.

Lt. Gov Brad Owen spoke briefly about diversity. Nearly every branch of the military was in attendance.

"What they (Tuskegee Airmen) did is the beauty of what I see in this room," Owen said about the rich ethnic diversity in the packed Tyee Park gym.

Click on the photos and videos Patch took while at the assembly. And if you were there, share your own photos and videos.