One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, Charles McGee, died Jan. 16, 2022.
McGee, 102, died in his sleep at his home in Bethesda, Maryland.
Born in Cleveland in 1919, McGee joined the Tuskegee Airmen in October 1942, part of an experimental program to train black pilots. After training in Tuskegee, Alabama, he joined the 332nd Fighter Group, known as the Red Tails. He flew 136 missions as the group accompanied bombers over Europe.
McGee remained in the Army Air Corps, later the U.S. Air Force, and served for 30 years. He flew low-level bombing and strafing missions during the Korean War and returned to combat again during the Vietnam War. He flew a record 409 aerial missions in three wars.
He retired as a colonel in the Air Force in 1973. After earning a degree in business administration, he worked as a business executive.
He was also instrumental in increasing awareness of the Tuskegee Airmen, making many appearances around the country.
In 2007 the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award from Congress, to recognize their “unique military record that inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces.”
When he turned 100, McGee was given an honorary commission promoting him to the one-star rank of brigadier general under a congressional measure. His military honors include the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with Two Clusters, two Presidential Unit Citations, and many others.
“General McGee’s accomplishments are so extraordinary as to be almost beyond belief,” said Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). “But even more impressive than all he did was the way in which he did it. He was the very personification of excellence, service, grace, humility and dignity. To be in his presence was to be in the presence of greatness.”
“Brigadier General Charles McGee was a true American hero and the kindest and most humble patriot I have ever known,” added Pete Bunce, president and CEO of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and Arsenal of Democracy Executive Committee member. “His dedication and service to our nation went far beyond his time and distinction as a three-war combat fighter pilot. He has been a role model to so many of us and even into his centenarian years, he tirelessly promoted education and careers in the aerospace to future generations. Brigadier General McGee lived an exemplary life and we have been so blessed to have him be a prominent part of some very special aviation events.”
McGee was a tireless volunteer for initiatives focused on inspiring young people to reach their full potential. In particular, he was a key supporter of the Commemorative Air Force’s Rise Above initiative, which highlights the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Air Force Service Pilots as profiles in leadership for future generations to follow.
Survivors include daughters Charlene McGee Smith and Yvonne McGee, 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and a great-great grandchild. His wife of more than 50 years, Frances, died in 1994.
RE Airforce magazine article on this Hero.. https://www.airforcemag.com/tuskegee-airmen-charles-mcgee-dies-at-102/
It is very sobering that McGee flew+137 back-to-back combat missions in WWII ~137… likewise Korea and VN… and was promoted to captain after +100 missions in WWII.. MOST fighter pilots were mandatory-rotated out of theater to stateside after 50-to-75 missions.
My dad flew 75 missions in the CBI and was rotated back: in photos he went from a young-man to an old-man in ~2-years. Combat stress was a serious concern. I wonder why a black pilot was kept in combat [3-wars] so long… relative to all other pilots??
What true patriots those brave men were. To risk you life for a country that despises you. They understood the big picture…that self serving tyrants like Hitler cannot be allowed to rule.
Thank you all for your true service to this world.