![]() KCUR 89.3 A Tuskegee Airmen emblem, as worn by Air Force Lt. Upon his retirement as a colonel, McGee and his wife Frances chose to return and make Kansas City home. McGee was stationed at Kansas City’s Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in the 1950s, and was the first Black commander of the Richard-Gebaur Air Reserve Base. “Any fighter pilot that successfully flies three conflicts is a fighter pilots’ fighter pilot.” “So a Tuskegee Airman - which in and of itself is amazing,” said Air Force Brig. He remained in the service until 1973, and flew 409 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, more than any other Air Force pilot. “I cannot say, 'Why me, how me, who picked my name, how'd I get that?'- I don't know,” McGee said. McGee is one of only nine Tuskegee Airmen still living, according to a press release. ![]() The Tuskegee Airmen’s success in the war was considered critical to the eventual racial integration of the U.S. During World War II, he helped escort heavy bombers over targets in German-occupied Europe. “What I've accomplished, certainly, I hope, is an inspiration to many.”Īs a pilot in the experimental program at the Tuskegee Institute, McGee was among the first African Americans allowed to fly military aircraft. “As a youngster I learned to treat other people like you want to be treated,” McGee said at the ceremony. ![]()
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