Greg Toppo

USATODAY

Willie N. Rogers, one of the oldest surviving members of the all-black Tuskegee Airmen, died Friday from complications of a stroke. He was 101.

The longtime St. Petersburg, Fla., resident was a member of the original 100th Fighter Squadron established during World War II.

He was wounded in action, shot in the stomach and leg by German soldiers, during a mission in Italy in January 1943. Rogers spent three months in a hospital in London before returning to the war, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

‘History being made’: 5 Tuskegee Airmen honored in N.Y.

The group’s 300 surviving members were decorated by President George W. Bush at the White House in 2007, during which they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. But Rogers didn’t attend. His family didn’t even know that he was part of the first African-American military aviation squadron in U.S. Armed Forces history.

Rogers didn't reveal his service until 2012, partially because his work was in logistics and administration and not in the sky, family members said.

"He would always say there were many who deserved attention more but were not here to receive it," said Veronica Williams, one of Rogers’ daughters.

His Tuskegee service was disclosed in 2012, and his family worked to get him credit for it, the Times reported.

Rogers received a Congressional Gold Medal in November 2013. He was also presented in recent years with the keys to the cities of Lakeland and St. Petersburg, Fla. His portrait hangs in the St. Petersburg Museum of History.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman on Sunday tweeted: "Rest in peace, our friend — St. Pete's 2015 Honored Veteran and Tuskegee Airman, 101-year-old Willie Rogers."

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