Courtesy of Congressman A. Donald McEachin’s office
Honoring a hometown hero
State, local and federal officials and community members gather for Saturday’s unveiling of a state historic marker honoring the late Lt. Col. Howard L. Baugh, a Petersburg native who was a pilot with the famed Tuskegee Airmen. Lt. Col. Baugh graduated from Virginia State University before entering the Alabama training program. During World War II, he was deployed to Sicily with the 99th Fighter Squadron and flew 135 combat missions. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and the French Legion of Honor. President George W. Bush and Congress also awarded Lt. Col. Baugh and the other Tuskegee Airmen with the Congressional Gold Medal in March 2007. Lt. Col. Baugh died in 2008. Unveiling the marker, located at the corner of Sycamore and Old streets in Petersburg, are, from left, Lt. Col. Baugh’s son, Howard L. Baugh Jr., 4th District Congressman A. Donald McEachin, Porcher L. Taylor and other members of the Howard Baugh Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Lt. Col. Baugh’s two other sons, Richard A. Baugh and David P. Baugh, also participated in the event.
