Brigadier General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, passed away at his Bethesda home this morning at the age of 102.

Brigadier General Charles Edward McGee (born December 7, 1919) was a retired American fighter pilot and one of the last living members of the Tuskegee Airmen, an all African-American military pilot group who fought during World War II (as part of the 332d Fighter Group).

He was a career officer in the United States Air Force for more than 30 years and flew a three-war total of 409 combat missions in WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, one of the highest combat totals and longest active-duty careers by any Air Force fighter pilot in history.

For his service, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal, among numerous 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 on February 4, 2020, was promoted from colonel to brigadier general.

Courtesy of the Tuskegee Airmen Scholarship Foundation.