WASHINGTON, D.C. — On June 16, 1952, Army Cpl. Fred B. McGee of Steubenville distinguished himself amid fierce combat in Korea, risking his own safety in support of his comrades.

Now, more than 70 years later, McGee has been awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in Korea. Having died on Jan. 3, 2020, McGee couldn’t receive the long-awaited recognition himself, but surviving family and friends believe it’s well deserved.

During a ceremony at the White House on Friday, President Joe Biden posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to McGee and six other Vietnam or Korean War soldiers: 1st Lt. Richard E. Cavazos, Pvt. 1st Class Charles R. Johnson, Pvt. 1st Class Wataru Nakamura, Pvt. Bruno R. Orig and Capt. Hugh Nelson. A seventh awardee, Vietnam veteran Kenneth W. David, received his medal in person.

Present to receive McGee’s Medal of Honor was his daughter, Victoria Secrest, who said during a media roundtable in December that she’s “grateful to the nation” for recalling the virtues of her late father. She marveled at the ceremony being held exactly five years after her father’s death.

“We’ve come full circle to Jan. 3, 2025, to celebrate him and all of the other brave men whose families are here representing them today,” Secrest said. “It’s really something to wrap my head around that it’s the same date five years later that this is actually happening for him, after he waited so many years.”

Born May 30, 1930, McGee, an African American, was a member of King Company in the 17th Infantry Regiment, which bears the motto “Truth and Courage.”

The events of June 16, 1952, took place at a location known as Hill 528 in Tang-Wan-Ni, Korea, during an assault on entrenched enemy positions. A light machine gunner in a weapons squad, McGee provided a large volume of supporting fire while exposed, in spite of heavy and direct machine gun and mortar fire from the enemy. McGee’s support for his platoon continued even after he had been forced to move his gun on several occasions.

After his squad leader and several others were wounded, McGee assumed command and moved his squad forward to provide neutralizing fire on an enemy machine gun. He’d once again take over his squad’s machine gun when his machine gunner was mortally wounded.

McGee directed his squad to withdraw, but he stayed behind to assist with evacuating casualties. That required McGee — who was wounded in the face — to stand straight up amid furious enemy fire. He was forced to abandon the body of his company runner but helped move a wounded soldier to safety, surrounded by continuous fire.

A Medal of Honor recipient biography from the Army says that 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.”

“Truth and Courage” is something McGee exemplified “on Hill 528 … (and) throughout his life,” according to Secrest.

Also present for Friday’s ceremony was Kristen Lee Bailey, McGee’s granddaughter. She’d been considering stories to share about her Pap that would give an impression of his character but decided to share “what he would want people to know and remember about him.”

“Cpl. McGee naturally exemplified honor. He showed respect and kindness to everyone he encountered. When I hear about his acts of valor on the battlefield, it comes as no surprise because he was always selfless, loving and honorable in everything he did and in every aspect of his life.”

McGee cared for and was devoted to his wife, was present with his children and grandchildren, respected the American flag he posted in his front yard and genuinely took interest in strangers he met on the street. In other words, Bailey said, “He was the American dream.”

“People followed him out of trust. They followed him because his magnetic personality would compel them to be better humans. People also followed him because they knew that in his presence and in his footsteps, they would always be safe.”

Her grandfather was a “class act” in public and private. Never coercive, McGee “set the bar for what it is to be a great man,” Bailey said, adding that she hopes others remember him for his bravery in Korea and his “heart of gold.”

For his actions in Korea, McGee had received the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest award. However, getting him the Medal of Honor turned out to be a challenge.

Secrest recalled working for “more than three decades” to get her father the military’s highest award. She took up the cause around 1990, learning about military protocol and contacting those in authority, including multiple presidents.

“I just started writing to (elected officials) to say, ‘Hey, look, you know, this is one of your constituents. He did what his country called him to do, and we need his country to come back around and do their responsibility for our brave soldiers, not just for my father but all of them.'”

Also present for the ceremony was Barry Bardone, adjutant for the Jefferson County Veterans Association — a group founded by McGee and other veterans to maintain the Friendship Park Veterans Memorial.

Eight years ago, Bardone saw a Silver Star on McGee’s license plate, introduced himself and thanked McGee for his service. After learning about McGee’s fight for the Medal of Honor, Bardone offered to help, meeting occasionally with Secrest to remedy discrepancies he found in McGee’s Silver Star citation.

Bardone gave paperwork to then-U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, an Air Force veteran, who reportedly passed it to a connection in the Pentagon. Now, Bardone feels that his and Secrest’s dedicated efforts have paid off.

“He’s getting it,” Bardone said. “We’re proud of it, I’m happy. It took me seven years, it took Victoria 30 or 40 years.”

Secrest also shared how her father, after his service, was contacted by the comic book publisher of Famous Funnies, wanting to create a comic based on his heroism in battle. Entitled “Heroic Comics,” the work was published in 1953 and was a point of pride for McGee.

“When it came across the wires what he had done back then, they were impressed and thought it was worthy of (publication),” Secrest said, adding, “There was a glaring inaccuracy. They used his name, somewhat of his likeness and his actions in the battle on Hill 528, but they forgot his melanin. They made him a white soldier. I think it could have been inadvertently because they hadn’t seen a picture of him.”

Additionally, Secrest said, her father had three brothers who served in World War II. They all were sitting around the radio when the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred, which caused their mother to lament how the boys would be taken by the military and never return. Thankfully, Secrest said, all three returned without injury, and one — James H. McGee — even became the mayor of Dayton.

Bailey said that, if he were here today, McGee would be smiling “from ear to ear” just like he would when other soldiers got their medals.

“He would talk about how he was waiting for his (medal), even up until real close to him passing. I think that it would have just filled him with pride, and I think he would have cried because he was sensitive. It would have been the biggest smile, the brightest smile that I think anyone’s ever seen.”