DALLAS — One of the last living Tuskegee Airmen in North Texas has died.
Colonel Lloyd B. McKeethen died at 98 years old in Dallas Thursday, his family confirmed to WFAA.
"We, his family and friends miss him dearly already. He was our hero and an American hero," said his granddaughter Nita McKeethen.
McKeethen and his wife Roberta lived in Dallas for 32 years and were married for 67 years before she died in 2017. His family said he would share his amazing stories of every mission and plane he ever flew with family and friends.
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McKeethen spent 25 years in the Military Airlift Command as a test pilot, aircraft commander and squadron commander. He also held key staff positions in aircraft maintenance management and logistics.
The Tuskegee Airmen were the U.S. military’s first Black aviators and their support personnel. Before World War II, Black Americans were not allowed to become aviators in the military, but the U.S. Army Air Corps created what was then an experimental training program for Black aviators at Alabama’s Tuskegee Army Airfield.
They also endured prejudice, racism and segregation from the same country and countrymen they fought and died for. They received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush for their heroism in 2007.
McKeethen was the "Last Lonely Eagle" to retire from the United States Air Force after more than 30 years of active military service covering World War Il, the Korean Crisis and the Vietnam War.
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His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon. He is a Command Pilot with over 8,500 flying hours.
McKeethen's family told WFAA that a date for his funeral has not been finalized but it will be in early September.
McKeethen's death comes nearly two months after Staff Sgt. Homer Hogues, another Tuskegee Airman, died at the age of 96.