On KidVenture -- "They're The Future And We Need To Support
Them"
by ANN Correspondent Aleta Vinas
An aircraft doesn’t care who flies her; woman, man, black
or white. Unfortunately, in the not-so-distant past, military and
civilian people did. When World War II started pilots were white
male - period. The military basically said black men lacked the
"qualifications" to fly.
Ironically, aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman had been flying
since the 1930’s and there were about 100 other black pilots
during the 30’s. Slowly the wheels of government turn and in
1941 The Tuskegee Experiment, named for the town of Tuskegee (AL),
was started.
In its infinite wisdom the government realized, if we’re
going to have black pilots we have to have black mechanics and
support personnel. This lead to training on mechanic and other
ground support positions.
Training began with 30 black pilots, 24 multi-color aircraft and
over 400 black support staff. Charles McGee was one of the men to
have passed the initial requirements and enter Tuskegee for pilot
training. McGee received his wings in June of 1943.
It had long been thought the Red Tails, as the Tuskegee
pilots were known because of the red tail painted on their planes,
had never lost a bomber to enemy fire. Recently this has been
disputed but it does not diminish their still impressive
accomplishments; they destroyed over 250 enemy aircraft and won
more than 850 medals.
After World War II McGee had planned to leave the service and
fly for an airline. The civilian world was not quite
as"enlightened" as the military and McGee ended up making the
military his career.
McGee spent 30 years in the service with 27 of those years
flying. His 30 years spans three wars (WWII, Korea and Vietnam).
His total of over 400 combat missions is a record over three
wars. His logbook contains P-39, P-47, P-51, F-80, F-89 and F-4
time. McGee loved moving into jets because "you didn’t have
to fiddle with the props and the mixture."
After serving his time and retiring as Colonel, McGee
spent almost nine years as Vice President of Real Estate for
a major securities firm. He returned to college and earned a BS in
Business Administration and then worked as Director of the Kansas
City Downtown Airport.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial
Fund Board of Trustees. The memorial will be located at Moton Field
near Tuskegee Institute. It will serve as a tribute to all the
Tuskegee alumni and as an educational tool to inspire young people
to reach for their dreams. The memorial will also be a place
to house historical information.
In addition to his Tuskegee memories, McGee has some Oshkosh
memories. His visits to Oshkosh started in 1992 talking to folks
about the Tuskegee Experience. McGee and the other airmen generally
do not use the term Tuskegee Experiment. According to McGee there
was a hospital in the Tuskegee area and they had an experiment
going on with V.D., named the Tuskegee Experiment. This was not the
name the men wanted to go by.
"I had come ahead of some of the airmen that came in, I think, a
C-97. A big group came in from California." The group parked
in what is now AeroShell Square. McGee continues "to be there and
see the plane come in and all the folks disembark was a great
experience"
The warbird area elicited some fond memories from McGee as
well."Then we get up to the fighter field and see these folks that
have been able to restore P-51s and P-47s and planes like that, it
was a great thrill. I had a chance to ride in a piggyback P-51, a
Red Tail that had been restored. We went down over the lake and did
a roll with it."
McGee speaks fondly of his work with the young people. "Sharing
in the KidVenture Program and talking to them and answering their
questions has been a big part of making it pleasant to come.
They’re the future and we need to support them in whatever
ways that we can."
"I was able to meet old friends and sharing with others who
enjoy aviation, it’s just hard to express it but it keeps you
coming back." Continuing to come back, speak and make more memories
is definitely on McGee’s agenda.