Legendary Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee honored at Silver Spring library

A distinguished naval aviator, who flew alongside the Tuskegee Airmen, was honored Thursday in Silver Spring, Maryland, for his service and commitment to breaking barriers toward racial equality.

Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, whose flying legacy is second to none, died two years ago at the age of 102 inside his Bethesda home.

His daughter Yvonne McGee spoke at the ceremony where a memorial was unveiled inside the Silver Spring Library that already bears McGee’s name.

When asked how does she describe her father’s legacy, Yvonne said: “It would either have to be love or perseverance. So if I could use two words, it would have to be those two.”

McGee was a decorated Tuskegee Airman pilot who flew 409 combat missions across three wars.

His daughter said he broke both flying barriers and the barriers of racism.

“You think about everything he went through during his lifetime, it would have been very easy for him to become discouraged,” Yvonne said.

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McGee earned three Distinguished Flying Crosses during his career.

Yvonne said it’s fitting that his name is now memorialized twice at a public library because he loved learning and often encouraged kids to get a good education.

“He said, ‘Get a good education, learn how to read, write and speak well,’ and if you have that, then you have the foundation to be able to go pretty much anywhere you want to,” she said.