Family of 2nd Lt. Malvin Greston "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield watch as Nola Whitfield, Malvin's widow, accepts an American flag off her husband's casket during the graveside service for 2nd. Lt. Whitfield in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Vir...
Family of 2nd Lt. Malvin Greston "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield walk toward Whitfield's gravesite during his graveside service in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, June 8. Whitfield served in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman and was als...
Nola Whitfield pauses after receiving the American flag from her husband's casket, 2nd Lt. Malvin Greston "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield, during his graveside service for in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, June 8. Whitfield served in W...
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Malvin Greston Whitfield, a Tuskegee Airman and two-time Olympian known as "Marvelous Mal," was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery during a full honors military funeral, June 8.
Whitfield, who was 91 when he died last November, joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 as a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American pilots who fought in World War II, and flew 27 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War.
Whitfield also enrolled at Ohio State University and ran track for the school while simultaneously serving in the military, the start of an illustrious career in athletics.
He achieved success and celebrity during the 1948 Olympic Games in London, where he won two gold medals for track: one as a member of the 4 by 400 meter relay team and another for his record-setting time in the 800 meters. He also took bronze in the 400 meters at that same games.
Four years later, at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, Whitfield won another gold medal for the 800 meters.
After his competitive career, Whitfield continued his passion for athletics and country by working for 47 years as a coach, goodwill ambassador and athletic mentor in Africa on behalf of the United States Information Service.
Family and friends gathered in section 8A of Arlington National Cemetery, the Air Force Memorial towering in the background, on a sunny, gusty day to pay their respects.
"It's like he gathered, through his service, the whole world in his arms, and tried to give it to his family, to his friends," said Chorbishop Dominic Ashkar of Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Church during the graveside service.
The Air Force Band and Honor Guard provided ceremonial support to the service, presenting the flag to his 83-year-old widow, Nola Simon Whitfield.
Whitfield has been inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame, the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame, the Olympic Hall of Fame, and the New York Sports Museum Hall of Fame.
In 1989, Whitfield founded the Mal Whitfield Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes sports, athletics and academics around the world. According to the foundation's website, it has awarded more than 5,000 scholarships to athletes.
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