Kansas City, Missouri – Charles McGee, one of the last remaining Tuskegee Airmen, passed away in his sleep on Sunday, his family said. He was 102.

McGee was known for completing 409 air combat missions over 30 years of active service, starting in World War II.

He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in the US armed forces.

"Being brought up, they say African-American or Black, but we're American and our country was at war," McGee told Reuters in 2016.

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"We were just as interested in supporting that effort as anybody else at that time and so we turned our back on the fact that there was segregation, if you will, and took advantage of the opportunity to prove that we can fly airplanes."

After World War II, President Harry Truman moved to desegregate the military in 1948 – in part thanks to the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen and other Black service members.

McGee received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and the National Business Aviation Association's Meritorious Service to Aviation Award in 2012. He has been a member of the National Aviation Hall of Fame since 2011.

Tributes have poured in since the announcement of McGee's passing.

Vice President Kamala Harris shared a video of her last phone call with the retired pilot on Twitter, writing, "Today, we lost an American hero, Brigadier General Charles McGee. A member of the Tuskegee Airmen, he completed over 400 missions during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. I had the honor of calling him last month on his 102nd birthday to thank him for his service to our nation."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed similar sentiments, "Today, we lost an American hero. Charles McGee, Brigadier General and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airman, passed at the age of 102. While I am saddened by his loss, I'm also incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character. Rest in peace, General."

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CNN published a statement from McGee's family honoring their relative's legacy: "As the nation mourns, the family asks that we remember the importance and significance of the legacy he left, all of his fellow Tuskegee Airmen, and everyone who played a role in the support and protection of American democracy."

McGee's daughter Yvonne said in a statement that her father "had his right hand over his heart and was smiling serenely" when he passed.

McGee is survived by his three children, 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.