Tuskegee Airman promoted to Brigadier General just after 100th birthday

A member of the famed Tuskegee Airman received a much-deserved promotion following 30 years of military service.

Charles McGee, a resident of Bethesda, Md., was just promoted to Brigadier General after Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020 into law on Dec. 20.

READ MORE: Air Force names new trainer jet in honor of Tuskegee Airmen

“It’s wonderful to be recognized for service and what it means to serve,” McGee said. “Certainly to receive that honorary rank is very meaningful.”

WUSA9 reported that McGee, who was a member of the famous Red Tails Squadron, flew 136 missions over Nazi Europe while white pilots were sent home after 50 missions. Following his service during WWII, McGee went on to serve during the Korean and Vietnam wars before his retirement as a colonel.

“Col. Charles McGee’s service to our country is remarkable and fully merits this distinguished honor,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said. “I was proud to fight for the inclusion of this promotion to commemorate his work and his sacrifice. This progress comes just days after Col. McGee’s 100th birthday, and I could not think of a more fitting recognition from a truly grateful nation.”

Prior to the honorary promotion, McGee had just celebrated his 100th birthday for which he piloted a Cirrus Vision Jet, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Last year, for McGee’s 99th birthday, he co-piloted a blue-and-white HondaJet over the Virginia countryside.

READ MORE: M.I.A. Tuskegee Airman finally laid to rest, 75 years after being lost in heroic mission

“He had a high school counselor who said he’d make a good truck driver,” McGee’s son Ronald, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become an aviator, told the Washington Post at the time. “So he went to college and got an aerospace engineering degree.”

A book about McGee’s life, Tuskegee Airman: The Biography of Charles E. McGee, Air Force Fighter Combat Record Holder is available for those interested in learning more about the famed pilot. The book was written by McGee’s eldest daughter, Charlene McGee-Smith, Ph.D.

The post Tuskegee Airman promoted to Brigadier General just after 100th birthday appeared first on theGrio.

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Marshawn Lynch’s Return to NFL Has His Beast Mode Apparel Sales Spike

Returning back to the spotlight causes great things for business! According to ESPN, the return of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has sparked a sales spike for his Beast Mode Apparel.

Lynch, who recently came out of retirement for a second time, signed to the team he won a Super Bowl with, the Seattle Seahawks last week. Since the announcement of his signing, sales of his Beast Mode Apparel have drastically increased. According to Mitch Grossbach, the head of operations and finance for Lynch’s Beast Mode business, Beastmodeonline.com had generated close to $150,000 in sales from when Lynch’s return became official. The clothing line also includes new gear commemorating his Seahawks comeback.

“Obviously, we knew a little ahead of time that there might be this possibility of Marshawn returning, so we have a team that began thinking about what can we put on sale, assuming he gets confirmed to play,” Grossbach told ESPN.com. “And we designed a couple of styles.”

Grossbach estimated that sales projection for December will end up five to seven times greater than what the website averaged in the months leading up to the running back’s return.

“My phone started to blow up and I stepped out to check it,” Grossbach said. “I saw that we had, within the first half an hour, we had thousands of sessions and we were selling at a rate of a couple thousand dollars in sales every few minutes. So the site had just gone crazy and spiked. I can see it exactly. This was on Dec. 23 at around 9 p.m. We had hit around $20,000 in sales within the first hour of it being announced.”

Due to the anticipation of Lynch returning to his old team, it was decided to add new gear to the collection. The new gear includes hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts, and long-sleeve T’s that read either “Back in Action,” which have since sold out or “Unfinished Business.” As soon as the deal was signed and formalized, Lynch’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, texted Grossbach to inform him and then Grossbach texted his team to push the new gear live.

Related: Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Air Force 1 Sells Out Immediately

Marshawn Lynch played for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks where he made four Pro Bowls and helped win Super Bowl XLVIII. Lynch earned the nickname “Beast Mode” for his powerful running style and consistent ability to run over defenders and break tackles.

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Marshawn Lynch’s Return to NFL Has His Beast Mode Apparel Sales Spike

Returning back to the spotlight causes great things for business! According to ESPN, the return of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has sparked a sales spike for his Beast Mode Apparel.

Lynch, who recently came out of retirement for a second time, signed to the team he won a Super Bowl with, the Seattle Seahawks last week. Since the announcement of his signing, sales of his Beast Mode Apparel have drastically increased. According to Mitch Grossbach, the head of operations and finance for Lynch’s Beast Mode business, Beastmodeonline.com had generated close to $150,000 in sales from when Lynch’s return became official. The clothing line also includes new gear commemorating his Seahawks comeback.

“Obviously, we knew a little ahead of time that there might be this possibility of Marshawn returning, so we have a team that began thinking about what can we put on sale, assuming he gets confirmed to play,” Grossbach told ESPN.com. “And we designed a couple of styles.”

Grossbach estimated that sales projection for December will end up five to seven times greater than what the website averaged in the months leading up to the running back’s return.

“My phone started to blow up and I stepped out to check it,” Grossbach said. “I saw that we had, within the first half an hour, we had thousands of sessions and we were selling at a rate of a couple thousand dollars in sales every few minutes. So the site had just gone crazy and spiked. I can see it exactly. This was on Dec. 23 at around 9 p.m. We had hit around $20,000 in sales within the first hour of it being announced.”

Due to the anticipation of Lynch returning to his old team, it was decided to add new gear to the collection. The new gear includes hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts, and long-sleeve T’s that read either “Back in Action,” which have since sold out or “Unfinished Business.” As soon as the deal was signed and formalized, Lynch’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, texted Grossbach to inform him and then Grossbach texted his team to push the new gear live.

Related: Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Air Force 1 Sells Out Immediately

Marshawn Lynch played for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks where he made four Pro Bowls and helped win Super Bowl XLVIII. Lynch earned the nickname “Beast Mode” for his powerful running style and consistent ability to run over defenders and break tackles.

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