Retired Brigadier General Charles McGee, part of the pioneering all-black Tuskegee Airmen during World War II died on Sunday, January 16 at age 102.
McGee, who flew 409 combat missions spanning World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam died in his sleep.
He was born December 7, 1919, in Cleveland, Ohio. His plane was hit twice in combat, once in Korea and once years later in Laos, both tomes in his right wing.
McGee battled racism and segregation during his military career. He was called to service in 1942 at age 23 and became one of the first black military aviators with the Tuskegee Airmen. "We were just as interested in supporting that (war) effort as anybody else at the time and so we turned out back in the fact that there was segregation, if you will, and took advantage of the opportunity to prove that we can fly airplanes,: he said.
The Tuskegee Airmen's success helped lay the groundwork for the civil tights movement and influenced President Truman's decision to desegregate the military in 1948.
Like I Say, One of the Greatest Generation With the Added Obstacle of Segregation and Racism. --GreGen
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