Tuskegee Airman Dies

In a Feb 23, 2015 photo, Willie Rogers, 99, reflects on his service and his life at home in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rogers, the oldest surviving member of the original Tuskegee Airmen, died Friday, Nov. 18, 2016 in St. Petersburg at the age of 101, said Rev. Kenny Irby, the pastor at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. (The Tampa Bay Times file photo via AP)

(Scott Keeler)

Willie Rogers, the oldest surviving member of the original Tuskegee Airmen, has died. He was 101.

Rogers died in St. Petersburg. Mayor Rick Kriseman announced his death on Twitter Saturday morning. "Rest in peace, our friend..." the tweet said.

Rogers was a master sergeant in the all-black Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, when the military was still segregated.

The Congressional Gold Medal winner was drafted into the army in 1942 and was based on the ground in logistics during his time with the Tuskegee Airmen, CBS News reported. Many of his family and friends did not know he was in the unit at the time.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Rogers resided in the city for the past 50 years, and currently lived a senior apartment complex. He was born in Apalachicola.

Rogers daughter Veronica told the Times that, while her father had many talents, his greatest quality was to love everyone unconditionally.

"He recognized that we as people and he as a black man have come a long way but that there is still more to go," she said. "But in God's eyes there is no color, he'd say. We are all one and he lived by the greatest commandment -- to love one another."

While the Rogers family want his military past honored, they also want his life motto known and respected.

"Treat everyone with dignity, pride and integrity...He said that a lot. And he meant it," his daughter said to the Times.