Ray McGee

Ray McGee, 86, was born on 01 October 1924 in Hickory, MS to parents, the late Roy and Gertrude Barber McGee. Ray passed away February 5, 2001in the Hospice Inpatient Care Unit of the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson. Visitation is 3:00-6:00pm Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home in Pearl. Funeral services are 10:00am Wednesday, February 9, 2011 in the funeral home chapel. Graveside services will follow at 1:00pm in the Hickory Cemetery, Hickory, MS with full military honors. Rev. James Milner, a family friend, and Rev. Calvin Williams of Pearson Baptist Church will officiate. Joshua Roberts, also from Pearson Baptist, will sing Ray’s favorite hymns.

In addition to his parents, Ray was preceded in death by his sister, Ruth Cook. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Katherine “Kathy” McGee; daughters, Joan O’Neal (Rodney) of Brandon and Glenda Talley (Larry) of Tyler, TX; and niece, Dianne Cook of Rocky Face, GA.

After graduating from Hickory High School in 1942, Ray enlisted in the Army at 18 years old and was sent to Harlenger Gunner’s School where he earned 3 silver wings and was promoted to Staff Sergeant. From there he was sent to Amarillo, TX Army Airfield where he learned to shoot all types of guns from skeet guns, 22 gauge rifles to 50 caliber machine guns. As an 18 year old gunner, Ray could assemble a machine gun blindfolded, identify all military aircraft at a glance, and hit his target in a split second.

As one of the 10 crew assigned to the 146 Bomber Group, their B-24 plane joined 15,000 other aircraft in the war. While bombing essential targets in Germany and Belgium, Ray’s plane was shot down and his parents were telegraphed that he was “MIA”, while he remained in a German hospital for a year, then German prison for 22 months. In 1951 he re-joined the Army for the Korean Conflict.

In 1952 Ray joined the Meridian Air National Guard where he was nicknamed “CD” from the Dick Tracy comic strip because he wore sunglasses “all the time” and continued to do so all of his life. He transferred to the MS ANG at Hawkins Field, Jackson and later the Municipal Airport Field, where he worked in maintenance and was a flight engineer on the “Flying Box”; the “Connie” C-121; “Old Shakey” and other aircraft. Ray retired from the MS ANG in August 1977 at age 53.

During Ray’s military service he was awarded 12 medals: The Purple Heart; The European African Middle Eastern Campaign with 4 Bronze Stars; The Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters; The WW II Victory Medal; and 8 Bronze Medals. Ray and Kathy were lifetime members of the National and State Ex-POW Association. Ray was also a member of the DAV, the American Legion, and President of the Hickory American Legion from 1972-1975.

This obituary was drafted by his wife, Kathy. Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Association or the National Ex-POW Association located at 3201 E Pioneer Pkwy, Suite 40, Arlington, TX 76010-5396.