Extremely eye news reporter Zhang Yang
Legendary American pilot Charles McGee, who died at the age of 102, flew 409 combat missions in three wars and was one of the first black American pilots.
Charles McKee became a one-star Brigadier General
On January 16, U.S. Vice President Kaharis and Defense Secretary Austin announced McKee's death on Twitter, both calling him a hero to the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Austin tweeted: "While I feel sad about his passing, I am also very grateful for his sacrifices, legacy and resilience. Rest in peace, General! ”
McKee's family said in a statement that he died in his sleep on Sunday morning with "his right hand on his chest and a smile on his face".
McKee, a retired brigadier general, was drafted into the army in 1942 at the age of 23 and fought in three wars — World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. After McKee turned 100, mcGee was awarded the Honor Committee and promoted to one-star brigadier general under a bill of Congress signed by former President Trump. In 2020, Trump won applause from members of Congress when he introduced McGee in his State of the Union address.
McKee's flying unit was known as the Tuskegee, nicknamed the first African-American unit to fly fighter jets in World War II.
According to the BBC, during World War II, the U.S. Army had a large number of ethnic minority soldiers, but their units, training and facilities were segregated from whites. But in 1941, Congress ordered that the Air Force must create an all-black flying combat unit.
The Air Force reluctantly agreed and sent troops to a remote air base in Tuskegee, Alabama, to separate them from other forces. It became a training ground for pilots, navigators, mechanics and ground crews. McKee was one of more than 900 people trained in rural Alabama, and about 450 were deployed overseas after their training was completed, and 150 were killed in training or combat.
McKee returned to the troops for a tour
Racism and segregation were prevalent in the U.S. military at the time, and whites were very unfriendly to people of other ethnicities, and McKee fought these in the military.
He told The Associated Press in a 1995 interview: "One of the things you could say we fought for was equality and justice, and we know we have the same or better capabilities." ”
In 2007, he also told the BBC: "We have proven something different not only in the history of aviation, but also in the history of American society." ”
The success of the Tuskegee pilots was credited with influencing the policies of the time, and in 1948 U.S. President Harry S. Truman issued a decision to abolish apartheid in the military.
After retiring from the military, McKee devoted his life to sharing the experience of Tuskegee pilots and encouraging young people to pursue careers in aviation. In 2011, he was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
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