Brigadier General Charles McGee of the U.S. Air Force (Retired) is a 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman who served with distinction in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He flew a total of 409 aerial fighter combat missions during those three wars, which is a record that stands to this day. Furthermore, he was enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011.
In fact, of the 355 Tuskegee pilots who flew in combat, McGee is one of only nine who are still with us. Earlier this year, he was one of four World War II veterans who presented the coin for the coin flip at Super Bowl LIV. He was also a special guest of President Donald J. Trump during this State of the Union address this month.
Today, however, he is challenging a new generation of Americans to step forward and achieve their destiny. McGee has made a special appeal in the video embedded above challenging more of us to apply to the NASA astronaut program.
There are only four requirements to be considered for the astronaut training program.
- U.S. citizen;
- Master’s degree or better in a STEM field;
- Two years of related, professional experience; and
- Pass the NASA astronaut physical.
NASA will begin accepting applications to the astronaut corp training program on March 2, 2020. They will continue accepting them until the 31st.
For more information about a career as a NASA astronaut, and application requirements, please visit: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
This post is a part of this blog's semi-regular Friday Focus series, which endeavors to highlight news and opinions that, in my opinion, don't get as much attention as they deserve.
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