Charles McGee (pilot)
Charles McGee | |
---|---|
16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron | |
Battles/wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
Awards | Legion of Merit (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (3) Bronze Star Medal Air Medal (26) Congressional Gold Medal (with all other Tuskegee Airmen) |
For his service, McGee received the Distinguished Flying Cross with two oak leaf clusters and the Bronze Star Medal, along with many other military honors. In 2007, as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, McGee received the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2011, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame and in February 2020, was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.[1][2]
Family and early years
Charles McGee was born in
As a child, McGee was a member of the
McGee met
Career
World War II
In March 1942, McGee was a sophomore at the
By February 1944, McGee was stationed in Italy with the 302nd Fighter Squadron of the
On August 23, 1944, while escorting B-17s over Czechoslovakia, McGee engaged a formation of Luftwaffe fighters and shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.[10]
Now a captain, McGee had flown a total of 137 combat missions and was returned to the United States on December 1, 1944, to become an instructor for the
Postwar
After World War II, McGee was sent to Lockbourne Army Air Field (now Rickenbacker ANGB, Columbus, Ohio) to become the base operations and training officer, later in 1948, being posted to an Aircraft Maintenance Technical Course and was assigned to an air refueling unit. Continuing his service with the United States Air Force as it was reconstituted, McGee continued to serve as a fighter pilot, flying Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and Northrop F-89 Scorpion aircraft.[12] When the Korean War broke out, he flew P-51 Mustangs again in the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron, completing 100 missions, and was promoted to major.[13]
During the
After a series of other appointments-both in the United States as well as in Italy and West Germany, McGee retired at the rank of colonel, on January 31, 1973.[16] In a 30-year active service career, McGee achieved a three-war fighter mission total of 409 combat missions, one of the highest by any Air Force fighter pilot.[10] He ended his military career with 6,308 flying hours.[17]
Post-retirement
After his military service, McGee held functional and honorary positions in aviation. In 1978, at the age of 58, he completed his college degree at Columbia College, over thirty years after his initial enrollment at the University of Illinois. Though interrupted by World War II, attaining a college degree had been a lifelong goal.[18]
McGee served as the director of the Kansas City airport and as a member of the Aviation Advisory Commission. For over 30 years, he had been an ambassador of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (or Tuskegee Airmen Association), established in 1972. He served as national president of the association from 1983 to 1985 and was instrumental to its growth, leading efforts to provide aviation career opportunities for people of color.
In 2005, McGee intended to be part of a group of former Tuskegee Airmen, who flew to Balad, Iraq, to speak to active duty airmen serving in the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, the current incarnation of the 332nd Fighter Group.[21] However, McGee was not noted as being in Balad.[22]
In 2007, McGee appeared in an episode of
Later life and death
For his lifelong dedication to aviation, in 2011, McGee was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.[24]
In 2018, to celebrate McGee's 99th birthday, businessman and former Air Force pilot Glenn Gonzales took McGee for a flight in a
In December 2019, for his 100th birthday, McGee flew with a copilot in a
On February 2, 2020, McGee presented the coin for the coin flip at Super Bowl LIV, alongside three other fellow centenarian World War II veterans.[28][29] Two days later, he was honored by President Trump in-person at the 2020 State of the Union Address with a promotion to brigadier general.[30]
Also in 2020, McGee appeared in a promotional video for NASA encouraging young people to become astronauts and enroll in the Artemis program.[31]
McGee died in his sleep on January 16, 2022, at the age of 102, at his home in Bethesda, Maryland.[32] He was one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.[33] Vice President Kamala Harris,[34] Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin,[35] New York City Mayor Eric Adams,[36] and Secretary of the United States Air Force General Charles Q. Brown[37] all offered statements in response to his death. He was buried in Section 3 at Arlington National Cemetery on June 17, 2022.[38]
Honors
McGee was recognized for his combat and military service with a number of military decorations, including:
On March 29, 2007, at a ceremony inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian award, to McGee and all other surviving and deceased Tuskegee Airmen.[17]
In 2011, McGee was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.[39]
On February 4, 2020, McGee was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.[1][40] It was authorized in legislation introduced in December 2019 shortly after his 100th birthday, by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Anthony Brown.[29] McGee was a special guest at the 2020 State of the Union Address, where President Donald Trump pinned the stars to his uniform in the Oval Office before delivering the address that day.[1]
After McGee's death in 2022, the Silver Spring Library in Montgomery County, Maryland was re-named in his honor.[41][42]
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USAF photo of Major McGee receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea in 1951
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McGee, second from left, receiving the Congressional Gold Medal with other Tuskegee Airmen in 2007
-
McGee being promoted to brigadier general on February 4, 2020
Personal life
McGee married his wife, Frances Nelson, in 1942.[43] The two remained married for over 50 years until Frances' death in 1994. At the time of Charles' death, he and Frances McGee had 3 children, 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great granddaughter.[19]
McGee named his P-51 Kitten after Frances, who worked as a medical secretary in the
See also
- Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library
- Fly (2009 play)
- Freeman Field Mutiny
- List of Tuskegee Airmen
- Military history of African Americans
- The Tuskegee Airmen (1995 film)
References
- ^ a b c Mosier, Jeremy L (February 5, 2020). "Tuskegee Airman receives promotion to brigadier general". U.S. Air Force. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Special Guests for President Trump's 3rd State of the Union Address". whitehouse.gov. February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 5, 2020 – via National Archives.
- ^ Smith and McGee 1999. pp. 12–14.
- ^ McGee, Noelle (June 30, 2019). "Trailblazing Tuskegee Airman: 'Life's been a blessing'". The News-Gazette.
- ^ Maw, Michael (August 1, 2010). "Tuskegee Airman Presented Distinguished Eagle Scout Award". 2010 National Scout Jamboree. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
- ^ McGee, Noelle (July 2, 2019). "An officer and a gentleman: Tuskegee Airman to be ride in Champaign Freedom Celebration parade". Rantoul Press. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c Francis and Caso 1997, p. 323.
- ^ Sherman, Stephen (June 29, 2011). "The Tuskegee Airmen: First Group of African-American Fighter Pilots in WW2". acepilots.com. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
- ^ Tillman 2012, p. 28.
- ^ a b c Haulman, Daniel L. (September 2, 2016). "Misconceptions About the Tuskegee Airmen" (PDF). Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
- ^ "Pioneering US pilot Charles McGee dies at 102". www.msn.com.
- ^ Ray, Mark. (Winter 2010). "National Treasure: Decorated Col. Charles McGee Continues to Impact America's Youth". Eagle Scout Magazine. pp. 5–7.
- ^ a b Shepherd, Nick (December 6, 2021). "Day before turning 102, Tuskegee airman gets red carpet at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Bultman, Lori A. (December 8, 2021). "Tuskegee Airman celebrates 102nd birthday at 12th FTW". Af.mil. 502nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ "Tuskegee Airman's visit remembered". The Daily Sentinel. Pomeroy, Ohio. February 8, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Cooper et al. 1996, p. 116.
- ^ a b Francis and Caso 1997, p. 324.
- ^ "Flying high: interview with Col. Charles McGee". Columbia College Connections. Columbia College. July 2008. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Singh, Kanishka (January 17, 2022). "Pioneering Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102". Reuters. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ a b March 1999, Jon Guttman (January 18, 2022). "Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee: 'Do While You Can'". HistoryNet.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tuskegee Airmen suit up, head to Iraq". USA Today. Associated Press. October 22, 2005.
- ^ "Aging Tuskegee Airmen visit Air Force unit in Iraq". The Decatur Daily. October 29, 2005. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Columbia College alumnus Col. Charles McGee consults on George Lucas movie". Columbia College Connections. Columbia College. January 3, 2015. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- ^ "Enshrinee Charles McGee". nationalaviation.org. National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
- ^ Bergqvist, Pia (December 13, 2018). "Tuskegee Airman, Col. Charles McGee, Celebrates 99th Birthday in the Air". Flying.
- ^ Lanier, Shawn (April 24, 2019). "Kings Arts Complex honors Tuskegee Airman". WCMH-TV.
- ^ Tallman, Jill (December 6, 2019). "Tuskegee Airman Celebrates 100th By Flying Cirrus Vision Jet". AOPA.
- ^ Jackson, Amanda (February 3, 2020). "Four 100-year-old World War II veterans will participate in the Super Bowl coin toss". CNN. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Davis, Phil (February 2, 2020). "Maryland World War II veteran participates in Super Bowl coin toss". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- AL.com. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ NASA on Twitter: "We're saddened by the loss of Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, a trailblazer who served as a Tuskegee Airman and flew 409 combat missions. Seen here in 2020, he encouraged the Artemis Generation to fly to new heights by applying to become an astronaut"
- ^ "Remembering Tuskegee Airman, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee". The National WWII Museum. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ Cook, Gina (January 16, 2022). "Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee Dies at 102". WRC-TV. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Vice President Kamala Harris on Twitter
- ^ Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Twitter
- ^ Mayor Eric Adams on Twitter
- ^ General CQ Brown, Jr. on Twitter
- ^ Arlington National Cemetery [@ArlingtonNatl] (June 17, 2022). "Col. Charles McGee was laid to rest in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery today" (Tweet). Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ "McGee, Charles Edward". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
- ^ Stone, Kevin (February 5, 2020). "Sen. Martha McSally 'had tears in eyes' twice during State of the Union". KTAR-FM. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ Cremen, Alanea (February 25, 2022). "Silver Spring Library to be renamed after Tuskegee Airman Brig. Gen. Charles McGee". WUSA9 News. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ Schere, Dan (March 1, 2022). "Silver Spring Library Named in memory of Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee". Bethesda Magazine. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (January 16, 2022). "Charles E. McGee, Tuskegee Airman Promoted by Trump, Dies at 102". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ "TUSKEGEE AIRMAN AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE". Bethany College. October 2, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
Further reading
- Cooper, Charlie, Ann Cooper and Roy La Grone. Tuskegee's Heroes. St. Paul, Minn.: Motorbooks International Publishing Company, 1996. ISBN 0-7603-0282-0.
- Daniel, Douglass K. "Celebrated Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102", Associated Press, January 16, 2022
- Francis, Charles E., and Adolph Caso. The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation. Boston: Branden Books, 1997. ISBN 0-8283-2029-2.
- Smith, Charlene E. McGee. Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder. Boston: Branden Publishing, 1999. ISBN 978-0-8283-2186-0.
- Tillman, Barrett. "Tales of the Red Tails: Inside the Tuskegee Legend: The Men, the Machines, the Missions". Flight Journal, February 2012.
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Charles McGee archived biography
- McGee biography Archived January 17, 2022, at the Wayback Machine in the National Aviation Hall of Fame
- 2020 McGee interview with NASA astronaut Alvin Drew
- Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. official website
- Charles McGee at IMDb