In the 2020 defense policy bill, Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, who turned 100 on December 7, 2019, received an honorary promotion from colonel to brigadier general
In the 2020 defense policy bill, Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee, who turned 100 on December 7, 2019, received an honorary promotion from colonel to brigadier general. In the Oval Office of the White House on February 4, President Donald Trump took part in the promotion pinning ceremony for the illustrious Tuskegee Airman.
McGee started his career in the U.S. Army Air Corps and spent three decades in uniform, according to Air Force Magazine. During World War II, McGee flew bombers in the P-39Q Airacobra, P-47D Thunderbolt, and P-51 Mustang over Germany, Austria, and the Balkans. McGee flew the F-51 on 100 interdiction missions from Japan during the Korean War, then the RF-4C on an additional 173 reconnaissance missions in Vietnam.
More than any other pilot in the three wars, McGee flew a record-breaking 409 combat mission during the course of his career.
“I’d like to pass on what I call my four ‘P’s’ — perceive, prepare, perform, persevere — dream your dreams but get the good education to accomplish the desires and needs of the country,” he said.n“Always seek excellence and always do your best in things that you do. Finally, don’t let the negative circumstances be an excuse for not achieving.”
In spite of his 1973 retirement, McGee kept making history. Former president George W. Bush gave him the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, and he was enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011. Then, in 2019, the T-7A training aircraft was given the name “Red Hawk” in honor of the aircraft the Tuskegee Airmen flew, cementing their legacy.
“Incredible story. After more than 130ncombat missions in World War II, he came back home to a country still struggling for civil rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam,” Trump said. He added, “Gen. McGee, our nation salutes you. Thank you, sir.”
The U.S. Space Force, the country’s newest military branch, and McGee’s grandson, Iain Lanphier, an eighth-grader in Arizona who “aspires to go to the Air Force Academy” and someday work for the Space Force, were both praised by Trump who also provided a peek at future generations of airmen.
“Most people look up at space. Ian says, ‘I want to look down on the world.’”
Photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail / U.S. Air Force and Shealah Craighead / Official White House Photo
