Former Tuskegee Airman, retired Col. Charles McGee, celebrates his birthday Dec. 6, 2019, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, Dec. 7, 1919. He served a total of 30 years in the U.S. Air Force, beginning with the U.S. Army Air Corps, and flew a total of 409 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Tuskegee program began in 1941 when the 99th Pursuit Squadron was established, and its Airmen were the first ever African-American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Corps. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Quail)