Charles McGee obit

Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee Dies at 102

McGee flew 409 combat missions in conflicts from World War II to Vietnam, and spent much of his life inspiring young people to follow their dreams

 

 He was not on the list.

Decorated Tuskegee Airman Brigadier Gen. Charles McGee has died. He was 102.

McGee died peacefully in his sleep Sunday morning, a family spokesperson said.

“He had his right hand over his heart and was smiling serenely,” his youngest daughter Yvonne McGee said in a family statement.

“He was a wonderful human being……I feel proud and privileged to be called his son," McGee's son, Ron McGee, said.

McGee, a longtime resident of Bethesda, Maryland, flew 409 combat missions in conflicts from World War II to Vietnam. His plane was hit by enemy fire twice — during the Korean conflict and again years later near Laos — both times on his right wing.

He was called to service in 1942 at the age of 23 and became one of the first black military aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

"I just fell in love with flying," McGee said in an interview with News4 in 2020.

In 2020, McGee flipped the coin at the start of the Super Bowl, received a promotion to Brigadier General from former President Donald Trump Jr. and got a standing ovation from a divided Congress during the State of the Union address.

"Brigadier General, I sometimes look back, it's certainly an honor to receive it now. Would have loved to have served the country in that capacity," McGee said.

Later that year, on the eve of his 101st birthday, a parade of people came out to his Bethesda home for a fitting tribute, including a military flyover — a nod to his fighter pilot days.

"I'm almost speechless," he said. "It's an honor and another of life's blessings."

McGee battled racism and segregation during his military career that spanned three decades. His family and friends say he persevered and stayed focus on his mission.

He spent his 100th birthday in 2019 co-piloting a Cirrus Vision jet, thanks to private supporters and the U.S. Air Force.

"What a thrill where technology has taken us," McGee said.

In recent years, he took part in land-based missions with other Tuskegee Airmen aimed at imparting the importance of education to young people through scholarships, educational assistance and good first-hand advice.

"Get an education, because you can’t take advantage of opportunity if you're not at least initially prepared,” he told News4 in 2011 when he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

McGee's mantra, the Four P’s, “Perceive, Prepare, Perform, and Persevere” became a staple among the many lives he touched, his family said.

McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 7, 1919, to Lewis Allen and Ruth Elizabeth (Lewis) McGee. His grandfather was formerly enslaved and his father served as an Army chaplain in World War I and during the Battle of the Bulge in the Second World War. Lewis was also at various times a teacher, social worker, African Methodist Episcopal minister (ultimately a Unitarian minister and one of the first African Americans as such), and later an activist during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The family frequently moved during Charles's childhood.[3] He had two siblings, his older brother Lewis and younger sister Ruth. His mother died shortly after his sister was born.[4]

As a child, McGee was a member of the Boy Scouts of America and earned the Eagle Scout award on August 9, 1940. He later served in district and regional positions in the Boy Scouts. At the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, he was recognized with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award

 

McGee is survived by his three children and several grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.