Charles E. McGee (1919–2022), Tuskegee Airman who flew in three wars
18.01.2022 - 19:35
/ legacy.com
Charles E. McGee was a Tuskegee Airman who flew combat missions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.McGee was studying at the University of Illinois when Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941. Already an ROTC student, he decided to enlist, and he was chosen for flight training with the Tuskegee Airmen.
He flew a P-51 Mustang in World War II, nicknamed “Kitten” after his wife. After his tour of duty, McGee returned to the U.S. and trained a new class of Tuskegee Airmen before deciding to make a career of the newly created U.S.
Air Force. He was promoted to major and then to lieutenant colonel as he flew in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He recorded 409 combat missions, the third most in U.S.
Air Force history, before his retirement as colonel in 1973. McGee was honored with a Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and other decorations.After his retirement from the military, McGee returned to school and earned his degree in business administration, later working as the director of the Kansas City Airport and serving as national president of the Tuskegee Airmen Association. In 2019, just after his 100th birthday, McGee was promoted to brigadier general by a congressional measure.
He was honored at President Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address, where the president pinned his star on his uniform.“We shattered all the myths. A lot of what we fought for was an opportunity to overcome having someone look at you and, because of your color, close a door on you.” —from the 1999 biography, “Tuskegee Airman,” written by his daughter, Charlene E. McGee SmithToday, we lost an American hero.