{"id":20678,"date":"2022-01-17T19:21:09","date_gmt":"2022-01-17T19:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=20678"},"modified":"2022-01-17T19:21:11","modified_gmt":"2022-01-17T19:21:11","slug":"aviation-industry-mourns-the-passing-of-brigadier-general-charles-mcgee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/aviation-industry-mourns-the-passing-of-brigadier-general-charles-mcgee\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Aviation Industry Mourns the Passing of Brigadier General Charles McGee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Charles McGee at the Aero Club of Washington.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, the aviation industry was saddened by the loss of\nfamed Tuskegee Airman and American hero Brigadier General Charles McGee. He was\n102. According to a family statement, McGee passed away peacefully in his sleep\non Sunday, at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McGee was best known for his leadership role with the\nTuskegee Airman, the Army Air Corps’ first African American fighter squadron.\nMembers of that celebrated outfit, also known as the 99th Flying Training\nSquadron, underwent initial training in Tuskegee, Alabama, from 1941 to 1949.\nAviators including McGee received initial training in Boeing PT\u201317 Stearmans,\nwhich laid the foundation for advancing to such fighters as the North American\nP\u201351 Mustang and Curtiss P\u201340 Warhawk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust like General McGee stretched boundaries his entire\nlife, his loss is being felt far beyond aviation. He will always be known and\ntreasured as a true inspirational American,\u201d said AOPA President and CEO Mark\nBaker. \u201cWe are very fortunate to have known General McGee and have had him in\nour lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During World War II, McGee completed 136 combat missions\nwith the Tuskegee Airmen, and flew an additional 100 combat missions in the\nKorean War and 173 combat missions in the Vietnam War, amassing a three-war\ntotal of 409 flight missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Inspiring a younger generation during AirVenture 2015. Photos by Kim Stevens.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“Brigadier General Charles McGee was a true American\nhero and the kindest and most humble patriot I have ever known. His dedication\nand service to our nation went far beyond his time and distinction as a\nthree-war combat fighter pilot.  He has\nbeen a role model to so many of us and even into his centenarian years, he\ntirelessly promoted education and careers in the aerospace to future\ngenerations. Brigadier General McGee lived an exemplary life and we have been\nso blessed to have him be a prominent part of some very special aviation\nevents. We extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to his family and\nfriends. He will forever live in our hearts and be remembered as a national\ntreasure,” said Pete Bunce, President and CEO of the General Aviation\nManufacturers Association (GAMA), and Arsenal of Democracy Executive Committee\nmember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AOPA noted that they are proud to honor the life and legacy\nof Gen. McGee through the annual Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Aviation\nInspiration Award. The honor is bestowed on the aviator who best lives up to\nthe ideals of General McGee and pays it forward for generations to come. The\ninaugural McGee Award was presented to the general himself during a virtual\nceremony in February 2021. The next McGee award will be presented during\nceremonies in Washington, D.C., on March 23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBAA President and CEO, Ed Bolen said General McGee\u2019s\naccomplishments are so extraordinary as to be almost beyond belief. \u201cBut even\nmore impressive than all he did was the way in which he did it,\u201d said Bolen. \u201cHe\nwas the very personification of excellence, service, grace, humility and\ndignity. To be in his presence was to be in the presence of greatness.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Sunday, the aviation industry was saddened by the loss of famed Tuskegee Airman and American hero Brigadier General Charles McGee. He was 102. According to a family statement, McGee passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, at his home in Bethesda, Maryland. McGee was best known for his leadership role with the Tuskegee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20678"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20682,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20678\/revisions\/20682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}