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Kansas City Airport renames terminal to honor Tuskegee Airman Brig Gen Charles McGee

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee, wearing a red blazer, poses for pictures with former Kansas City mayor Charles B. Wheeler near a Red-Tail P-51 Mustang painted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee, wearing a red blazer, poses for pictures with former Kansas City mayor Charles B. Wheeler near a Red-Tail P-51 Mustang painted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen June 29, 2021, outside the Charles E. McGee General Aviation Terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Mo. McGee, the terminal’s namesake, flew more than 100 combat missions in World War II, escorting U.S. bombers to and from targets in Axis territory. (US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Bob Jennings)

Brig. Gen. Mike Schultz, the 442d Fighter Wing commander, speaks with Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee

Brig. Gen. Mike Schultz, the 442d Fighter Wing commander, speaks with Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee in the Atlantic terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport June 29, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. McGee flew in for a ceremony to rename the airport’s general aviation terminal in honor of the Tuskegee Airman. (US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Bob Jennings)

Speakers from the rededication ceremony pose for a photo near a Red-Tail P-51 Mustang painted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen

Speakers from the rededication ceremony pose for a photo near a Red-Tail P-51 Mustang painted to honor the Tuskegee Airmen June 28, 2021, outside the Charles E. McGee General Aviation Terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Mo. McGee, the terminal’s namesake, flew more than 100 combat missions in World War II, escorting U.S. bombers to and from targets in Axis territory. (US Air Force photo by Major Shelley Ecklebe)

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee speaks at the ceremony dedicating the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport’s general aviation terminal in his honor

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee speaks at the ceremony dedicating the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport’s general aviation terminal in his honor June 28, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. McGee flew more than 400 combat missions in three separate wars throughout his career. (US Air Force photo by Major Shelley Ecklebe)

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee and retired U.S. Army Col. Cloe Degraffenreid deplane at the Atlantic terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport.

Tuskegee Airman retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee and retired U.S. Army Col. Cloe Degraffenreid deplane at the Atlantic terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport June 29, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. The airport’s general aviation terminal was renamed to honor McGee’s service to the nation and to Kansas City. (US Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Bob Jennings)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --

Outside the general aviation terminal at Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, a Red-Tail P-51 Mustang kept silent watch through the windows as Pat Klein, Kansas City’s director of aviation, dedicated the terminal to retired Brig. Gen. Charles E. McGee, an original Tuskegee Airman, June 29, 2021, here.

The building’s new moniker is the Charles E. McGee General Aviation Terminal.

McGee attended the ceremony with his youngest daughter, Yvonne, where he was honored by seven speakers: Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas; Brig. Gen. Mike Schultz, the 442d Fighter Wing commander from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; Federal Aviation Administration administrator Steve Dickson; Kansas City councilwoman Teresa Loar; Lt. Col. Kenyatta Ruffin, the commander of the 71st Operations Support Squadron at Vance AFB, Okla.; and the president of Heart of America Tuskegee Airmen, Inc, Morcie Whitley.

McGee flew a Red Tail Mustang in World War II, much like the one that sat outside, as part of the 332d Fighter Group, escorting bombers to targets in Germany. In total, he flew 409 combat missions throughout World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

During World War II, the Tuskegee Airmen from the 332 FG were some of the most highly-decorated fighter pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps, and bomber squadrons often requested them by name for escort duty. Living up to their reputation, the 332 FG lost just over half the average number of bombers that other squadrons lost.

“Any fighter pilot who successfully flies three conflicts is a fighter pilot’s fighter pilot,” Schultz said during his remarks. “I haven’t earned that one. I am not a fighter pilot’s fighter pilot. You, sir, are.”

McGee passed his qualification to fly the P-51 on a Monday. That Wednesday, he flew his first combat mission in an aircraft that took only 18 months to design, build, and ship to the front.

“We need to get back there,” Schultz said. “We need to be more agile. We need to be more adept and flexible. And we need to be more lethal.”

In addition to honoring his military service, Dickson, on behalf of the FAA, honored McGee by naming three sequential navigation waypoints – Tuskegee, Airman, and McGee – around Kansas City International Airport so that McGee’s name would be spoken by pilots for years to come.

Lucas and Loer honored the general by reading a proclamation recognizing McGee for all of his accomplishments and service to Kansas City.

A hush came over the room as the 101-year-old veteran stepped to the podium. He thanked the presenters for the honor, and spoke about the importance of taking care of young people, whom he called the future of our country.

“Are you mentoring?” he asked. “If you aren’t, you need to get about it.”