Highly decorated Tuskegee Airman Brigadier Gen. Charles McGee passed away at 102, News4 reports.

McGee died in his sleep on Sunday, a family spokesperson confirmed.

"He had his right hand over his heart and was smiling serenely," his youngest daughter Yvonne McGee wrote in a family statement, according to News4.

Charles joined the trial program constructed to train Black soldiers as pilots for the Army Air Corps, which was obligated to admit Black Americans into the aerial warfare unit of the United States Army, AP News reports. 

In Oct. 1942, he was dispatched to the Tuskegee Army Air Field located in Alabama to train as a pilot, according to his biography on the National Aviation Hall of Fame website.

“You could say that one of the things we were fighting for was equality,” he said in an interview to AP News in 1995. “Equality of opportunity. We knew we had the same skills, or better.”

Charles graduated from aviation school in June 1943, and by 1944, he enlisted into the all-Black 332nd Fighter Group, famously nicknamed the "Red Tails." As a member of the esteemed group, he participated in 136 missions, escorting bombers over Europe in World War II.

"I just fell in love with flying," Charles told News4 in a 2020 interview.

In 2020, he had the opportunity to flip the coin to kick off the Super Bowl. Former President Donald Trump also promoted him to Brigadier General, and Charles received a standing ovation from Congress during the State of the Union address.

"Brigadier General, I sometimes look back; it's certainly an honor to receive it now. Would have loved to have served the country in that capacity," he said.

Charles achieved an illustrious military career, withstanding racism and segregation during his time spent as a pilot. Over the last few years, he worked with other Tuskegee Airmen to communicate the importance of education to young people by establishing scholarships and providing educational assistance and advice.

"Get an education because you can't take advantage of an opportunity if you're not at least initially prepared," he said to News4 in 2011 upon his induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

He leaves behind three children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and a great-great-grandchild.