Interviewing a Tuskegee Airman

With fellow Endicott students, Hannah Daigle and Michael Rotiroti, and Endicott faculty Steve Liss— we traveled to Bethesda, MD to interview and film one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee.

In this interview we got to hear, firsthand, the history of life as an African American civilian and soldier, and the racial injustice that these brave individuals had to overcome. The Tuskegee Airmen’s skill and bravery during World War II set the stage for integration of the military in 1948, and the Civil Right’s Movement in the 1960’s.

Brigadier General Charles E. McGee was in the United States Air Force for more than 30 years. He flew a three- war total of 409 combat missions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, one of the highest combat totals and longest active-duty careers by any Air Force fighter pilot in history.

Brigadier General Charles E. McGee has received a number of military decorations for his years of service, his outstanding achievements, his heroic services in combat, and his exceptional meritorious conduct. In addition to these decorations, he also earned the title commander of the Richard- Gebaur Air Reserve Base in 1972, making him the first black commander of a stateside Air Force. Even more distinct, Brigadier General Charles E. McGee was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio, in 2011; and on February 4, 2020, he was promoted from Colonel to Brigadier General.

It was an honor to meet this American hero firsthand and be able to bear witness to his story. Getting this once in a lifetime opportunity to talk with him was life changing.