US war pilot Charles McGee, who faced military segregation as he became a legendary member of the all-Black flying force known as the Tuskegee Airmen, died Sunday at age 102, officials said.
One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen has died.
Brig. Gen. Charles McGee was 102 when he died in his sleep Sunday morning, with his right hand over his heart, his family said.
McGee battled fascism abroad and racism at home, both in the name of serving his country.
He was part of the group of Black aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps., a precursor of the U.S. Air Force. Collectively they flew more than 15,000 individual sorties in Europe and North Africa during World War II.
βOur task was to keep the air clear of German pilots,β McGee said in a 2020 Air Force video.
Their service earned them medals, and their performance paved the way for integration of the U.S. armed forces, according to History.com.
McGee was a cut above even that. He went on to fly for another 30 years as an Air Force pilot in the Korean and Vietnam wars, for a total of 409 aerial fighter missions β a record that still stands today.
Full obituary:
Photos: Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee dies at 102
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 aerial fighter combat missions during three wars, is interviewed before piloting a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet to help celebrate his 100th birthday in Frederick, Maryland, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee's birthday is Dec. 7. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee (center) smiles after greeting tenth-grader Aidan Peters during a 100th birthday celebration for the decorated veteran and Tuskegee Airman in Frederick, Maryland, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee's birthday is Dec. 7. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee, a decorated Tuskegee Airman who flew in three wars, boards a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet for a round trip flight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to help celebrate his 100th birthday, in Frederick, Maryland, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee's birthday is Dec. 7. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman, banks into a turn in a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet with coaching from pilot Boni Caldeira during a flight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to help celebrate the decorated veteran's 100th birthday, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee's birthday is Dec. 7. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee concentrates on the view while piloting a Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet on a round trip flight from Maryland to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to help celebrate his 100th birthday, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee's birthday is Dec. 7. (AP Photo/David Tulis)
FILE- Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Charles McGee, center, a decorated veteran of three wars, receives a congratulatory send off after visiting with 436 Aerial Port Squadron personnel at Dover Air Force Base to help celebrate his 100th birthday in Dover, Delaware, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019. McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102. (AP Photo/David Tulis, File)
FILE- From left, Tuskegee Airmen, Cicero Satterfield, left, Lucius Theus, center, and Charles McGee, right, salute while posing for a group photo on the steps of the Capitol during a ceremony kicking off a nationwide fundraising drive for a memorial to the Tuskegee Airmen, Monday Dec. 18, 2006, in Montgomery, Ala. McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)
FILE - Tuskegee airman Charles McGee poses for a portrait during the "Red Tails" junket in New York on Jan. 10, 2012. McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 fighter combat missions over three wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102. (AP Photo/Carlo Allegri, File)
