OGTA DEBRIEF - Charles McGee

WWII TUSKEGEE AIRMAN SHARES POSITIVE MESSAGE TO YOUTH

If necessity is the mother of invention and innovation is its father then Old Guys & Their Airplanes: Debrief must be their offspring.

When an active 2020 OGTA filming season was brought to a sudden halt by the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic a new idea was given birth to bring the stories and messages of heroic Americans to the public - Old Guys & Their Airplanes: Debrief.

By utilizing virtual meeting and live streaming technologies OGTA has successfully created two pilot programs (no pun intended) that has allowed us to safely produce and distribute these shows nationally and around the world.

It's with great excitement and anticipation we present our latest episode.

American hero, United States Air Force General and "Tuskegee Airman" Brigadier General Charles McGee participated in a live broadcast interview, Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 11:00 am, Central Daylight Time. General McGee is one of the few surviving members of WWII's 332nd Fighter Group, a unit of African-American military airmen formed during the era's culture of unit-segregation by race.

General McGee served in WWII, The Korean War and Vietnam War, accumulating an astounding 409 combat missions. His civilian service is marked by extensive honors including the nation's highest civilian award, The Congressional Gold Medal. Today, at age 100, he remains an active role model to youth, promoting his mantra of personal success, "Perceive, Prepare, Perform and Persevere."

The interview was conducted by aviation artist, writer and filmmaker, John Mollison as part of the award-winning history brand, Old Guys and Their Airplanes (OGTA). Says Mollison, "There's an old saying, 'When an old man dies, a library burns.' General McGee's life is a huge library that all Americans can check out, learn from, and leverage for positive impact in our lives and communities."

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society (DFCS) is sponsoring OGTA's online, live "Debrief" interviews as part of their commitment to ensure that the stories of its members heroic actions are made available to the general public. South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) is providing broadcast support, making the interview available at no cost to the public with emphasis on educators and group leaders.

Fritz Miller, Director of Marketing for SDPB explains, "Our mission is to provide community outreach projects that educate, enlighten and entertain. When we learned how the DFCS and OGTA were working to continue their own missions of promoting American history, especially in this Covid-19 environment, we wanted to support their work."

Bruce Huffman, Chairman of the Board for the DFCS, stated, "We have over 3,500 members and each one has a story that proves ordinary people can rise to meet extraordinary challenges. General McGee's example personifies the achievements within our group and the values we hope to inspire in others."