


Charles McGee
Surname | McGee |
Given Name | Charles |
Born | 7 Dec 1919 |
Died | 16 Jan 2022 |
Country | United States |
Category | Military-Air |
Gender | Male |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseCharles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States in Dec 1919 to father Lewis Allen McGee and mother Ruth Elizabeth McGee (née Lewis). His mother passed when he was young. McGee was a member of the Boy Scouts of America earned the Eagle Scout award in 1940. He married Frances Nelson in Oct 1942, with whom he would have three children. Two days after the wedding, on 19 Oct 1942, McGee was sworn in as an aviation cadet. A week later, he enlisted in the US Army. In Jun 1943, he graduated from the historically black Tuskegee Institute. As a member of the 302nd Fighter Squadron in Italy, he flew his first combat mission on 14 Feb 1944. In the subsequent months, he flew either the P-39Q Airacobra, the P-47D Thunderbolt, or the P-51 Mustang aircraft to escort bombers flying into Germany, Austria, or the Balkans. He returned to the United States in Dec 1944 and became an instructor for B-25 Mitchell bombers at Tuskegee, remaining in that role until 1946. Remaining in the military after the war, he flew combat missions during the Korean War and then the Vietnam War. He retired from military service at the rank of colonel in Jan 1973 after flying a total of 409 combat missions. In 1978, he completed a college degree at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri, United States. In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general while on the retired list. McGee passed away in 2022 and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Charles McGee Interactive Map
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Charles McGee Timeline
7 Dec 1919 | Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. |
9 Aug 1940 | Charles McGee earned the Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America. |
17 Oct 1942 | Charles McGee married Frances Nelson. |
19 Oct 1942 | Charles McGee was sworn in as an aviation cadet. |
26 Oct 1942 | Charles McGee enlisted in the US Army. |
30 Jun 1943 | Charles McGee graduated from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, United States. |
14 Feb 1944 | Charles McGee flew his first combat mission in Italy. |
23 Aug 1944 | Charles McGee shot down a Fw 190 over Czechoslovakia. |
1 Dec 1944 | Charles McGee returned to the United States. |
31 Jan 1973 | Charles McGee retired from military service at the rank of colonel. |
22 Feb 1994 | Charles McGee's wife Frances passed away. |
29 Mar 2007 | Roscoe Brown, Jr., Charles McGee, and fellow Tuskegee airmen attended the ceremony at the US Capitol rotunda in Washington DC, United States where they were collectively awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. |
4 Feb 2020 | Charles McGee was promoted to the rank of brigadier general while on the retired list. US President Donald Trump pinned the general’s star on McGee at the White House in Washington DC, United States. |
16 Jan 2022 | Charles McGee passed away in his sleep in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. |
17 Jun 2022 | Charles McGee was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. |
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Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939