MEDAL OF HONOR

Cpl. Fred B. McGee — war hero, comic book superhero, native son, husband, dad and friend — was born on Memorial Day, May 30, 1930, to Spanish and Perrie McGee in Steubenville, Ohio. He was the sixth of eight children — six boys, two girls. Before his second birthday, the family moved from the bustling city to the bucolic beauty of Bloomingdale, where his Rockwellian life began in earnest. The land and its unpretentious, wood-frame homestead were the perfect backdrop for a new, albeit humble, beginning for the inquisitive toddler. In Bloomingdale, it seemed, young Fred had a safe place to grow and have a fair shot at the American Dream.

His mother told him from an early age, that he was born gifted and would do great things in life. His father, a self-taught mechanical engineer and business owner, invented and patented a snow tire chain that the Army would use on trucks in snow-covered Europe during WWII. One wintry day, while at home in Bloomingdale, five-year-old Fred watched intently as his father put snow tire chains on the family car. Not to be outdone, he found some rope, tied it around his tricycle tires and pedaled doggedly through the snow.

When McGee’s actions in battle were announced over the news feeds in the states, there was a wave of excitement. This was the Golden Age of comic books, and McGee was soon contacted by Heroic Comics, a Famous Funnies publication, for his permission to include his Hill 528 story. McGee wrote to his oldest brother, James H. McGee, a successful attorney back home, who told him “Go for it!” So, Cpl. McGee’s name and his actions were immortalized in the colorful pages of Heroic Comics.

After separation from active duty, he served in the Army Reserve for three years while resuming work at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. An accomplished baseball player, he won the state batting championship with a .467 batting average. He had a tryout with the Kansas City A’s at a time when race was an issue. He coached and umpired both Little League and high school baseball and was a high school football referee.

In 2003 the former Cpl. McGee participated on a panel called “What Price Freedom? Contributions of the Disenfranchised” at the scholarly conference “No Longer Forgotten: African Americans & the Korean War,” which was held at Morgan State University and sponsored by the Department of Defense. He acted as grand marshal for the Veterans Day 10K Walk/Run in Wheeling, West Virginia, and other events, and has been interviewed by various media outlets.

He was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame for Valor, Class of 2002. The recipient of two Purple Hearts for wounds received on Hill 528, he was also inducted into the Purple Heart Hall of Fame in Newburgh, New York.

In 2009, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, on National Medal of Honor Day, presented McGee with the Above & Beyond Citizen Honors Award for his leadership and “conspicuous selflessness and intrepidity in service to his fellow Americans by going above and beyond the call of duty in the aid of others.” In his civilian life, McGee continued to distinguish himself through his kind acts of selfless service and dedication to others. He loved his wife, Cornell Lewis, for 65 years. He loved to fish, hunt and spend quality time with friends and family. He loved to talk and whistle a happy tune. Whenever anyone dared question his ability to do something, with a youthful grin and twinkle in his eye, he’d say, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Superman!”

Fred and Cornell McGee wedding and wedding anniversary vow renewal in 2017 after 62 years of marriage. Courtesy photo.

McGee was named Jefferson County, Ohio Service Commission Veteran of the Year for 2019-2020. Sadly, he was only able to live out three months of his term. As McGee was being laid to rest in early January 2020, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown took to the Senate floor with bold remarks in support of sustained efforts by veterans’ groups, concerned citizens and swelling ranks of fellow politicians clamoring for the correction of McGee’s Silver Star to the long-ago promised Medal of Honor. McGee was written into the Congressional Record in 2003, along with other brave patriots from the history books.

McGee lived a life of service to humanity. Now that he has received his much-anticipated Medal of Honor, his legacy is complete. A member of the Sons of the American Revolution, he is a direct descendant of thrice-deployed Revolutionary War patriot Henry Dorton (Dalton), who served honorably in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Fred B. McGee was that shining light on a hill, that light that we are all called to be. From a hopeless bloody hill in Korea, to every hill and molehill within his own country, he was that shining light that dark forces of oppression could not dim.

Then-Spc. Sonny B. Simpson, Sgt. 1st Class Graceon White, and Pfc. Fred McGee pose for a team photo while forward deployed in Korea. Courtesy photo.

7th Infantry Division

The shoulder sleeve insigia of the 7th Infantry Division. Read Full Unit History

Cpl. Fred B. McGee distinguished himself by gallantry in action near Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea, on June 16, 1952, during an assault on enemy fortified positions. As gunner on a light machine gun in a weapons squad, McGee delivered a heavy volume of supporting fire from an exposed position despite intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire directly on his location.

Though forced to move his gun several times, he continued to support the assault and provide covering fire to the assault elements of his platoon. When his leader and several other members of his squad were wounded, he assumed command and moved the squad forward to a more exposed position to deliver neutralizing fire on an enemy machine gun.

When his machine gunner was mortally wounded, he again took over the gun. He then ordered his squad to withdraw and voluntarily remained behind to help evacuate the wounded and dead. Though wounded in the face, he heroically exposed himself by standing straight up under intense enemy machine-gun and mortar fire and attempted to evacuate the body of the company runner. Forced to abandon the body, he aided a wounded man and moved him to safety through a huge volume of enemy mortar and artillery fire.

McGee displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His unyielding courage and bravery, and his profound concern for his fellow Soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.