Ground broken for Pa. Tuskegee Airmen memorial


November 11, 2011 at 9:39a.m.

Ground broken for Pa. Tuskegee Airmen memorial

SEWICKLEY, Pa. (AP) — Officials have broken ground on a memorial honoring the Tuskegee Airmen from western Pennsylvania.

A surviving member of the famous unit of World War II black pilots was among those who attended a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the Sewickley Cemetery.

The planned memorial will honor 84 members of the unit who were from western Pennsylvania. Two granite towers bearing their names will flank a porcelain reproduction of a painting of a P-51 Mustang, the fighter plane many of them flew during World War II.

Organizers are currently raising money for the $250,000 memorial. Construction could begin early next year.