Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

FILE - Tuskegee airman Charles McGee and his large grandson Iain Lanphier respond arsenic President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union code to a associated league of Congress connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020. McGee, 1 of the past surviving Tuskegee Airmen who flew 409 combatant combat missions implicit 3 wars, died Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. He was 102. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Charles McGee, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 409 combatant combat missions implicit 3 wars, has died. He was 102.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III connected Sunday announced his decease connected Twitter, some of them calling McGee an American hero.

“While I americium saddened by his loss, I’m besides incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character. Rest successful peace, General,” wrote Austin, who did not specify wherever McGee died.

The Tuskegee Airmen is the nickname of the archetypal African American portion to alert combat airplanes successful World War II.

McGee was among much than 900 men to bid successful agrarian Alabama from 1940 to 1946 aft the Army Air Corps was forced to admit Blacks pilots. About 450 deployed overseas and 150 mislaid their lives successful grooming oregon combat.

McGee was 1 of lone a fewer pilots — achromatic oregon Black — who flew combat missions successful that struggle and during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

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“You could accidental that 1 of the things we were warring for was equality. Equality of opportunity. We knew we had the aforesaid skills, oregon better,″ helium told The Associated Press successful a 1995 interview.

After helium turned 100, McGee was accorded an honorary committee promoting him to the one-star fertile of brigadier wide nether a legislature measurement signed by President Donald Trump. In 2020, McGee won applause from members of Congress erstwhile introduced by Trump during his State of the Union address.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.