World War II Database

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.

Charles McGee Interactive Map

Photographs

Charles McGee Timeline