Malvin Greston Whitfield (1924 - 2015)

Born 11 Oct 1924 in Bay City, Matagorda, Texas, United States

Died 19 Nov 2015 at age 91 in Washington D.C., United States

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Biography

Mal Whitfield is Notable.

Corporal Mal Whitfield served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 3 Oct 1943
Unit(s):
Service ended: 8 Nov 1947

2nd Lieutenant Mal Whitfield served in the United States Air Force in the Korean War
Service started: 1950
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1952

Malvin Whitfield was an Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a member of the 1948 gold medal team in the 4 × 400 meters relay. Overall, Whitfield was a five-time Olympic medalist (three gold, one silver, one bronze).

He also served as a tailgunner during World War II. He was one of the “Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen,” a term that Tuskegee University broadly defines to include “any man or woman, military or civilian, black or white - who served at Tuskegee Army Air Field or in any of the programs stemming from the ‘Tuskegee Experience’ between the years 1941-1949,” prior to desegregation in the Armed Forces in 1948.” The Tuskegee Airmen were known for heroic combat service in support of Allied Forces in the European Theater. They served with the 332d Expeditionary Operations Group and the 477th Bombardment Group, both largely Black units of the United States Army Air Forces. ^[1]

Malvin Whitfield was orphaned at an early age.He was then raised by an older sister, Betty, in Watts, Los Angeles, California.

Whitfield joined the United States Army Air Forces in 1943 as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, recording 27 missions as a tail-gunner. He remained in the Air Force through the Korean War, when he flew another 20 missions. His military service was concurrent to the time of his emergence and sustained fame as an Olympic medalist as well as a legendary USA and World Track Champion.

He passed away in 2015.^[2] and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.^[3]

Sources

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HTBJ-X2M : accessed 17 April 2023), Malvin Whitfield in household of Mary Whitfield, Galveston, Galveston, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 35, sheet 17A, line 46, family , NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2335; FHL microfilm 2,342,069.
• "Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3G5-6W6 : 29 September 2021), Malvin G Whitfield and Mary A Adams, 1948.
• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85W-T15 : 5 December 2014), Malvin G Whitfield, enlisted 09 Nov 1945, Godman Field, Ft Knox, Kentucky, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
• https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/sports/mal-whitfield-olympic-gold-medalist-and-tuskegee-airman-dies-at-91.html

1. ↑ https://www.tuskegee.edu/Content/Uploads/Tuskegee/files/TuskegeeExperience(1).pdf
2. ↑ Schudel, Matt. Mal Whitfield, three-time Olympic gold medalist, dies at 91. Washington Post. 19 Nov 2015. Live Link and Archived Link
3. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #155171006 (accessed 21 October 2022)
   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155171006/mal-whitfield Memorial page for Mal Whitfield Famous memorial (11 Oct 1924-19 Nov 2015), citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA (plot: Section 8A, Grave 262); Maintained by Find a Grave.

See also:

• Wikipedia: Mal Whitfield
• Wikidata: Item Q504643, en:Wikipedia
• Tribute to Mal Whitfield, video at the time of his death, presented by his daughter Frederika Whitfield: remembering Mal Whitfield
• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85W-T15 : 5 December 2014), Malvin G Whitfield, enlisted 09 Nov 1945, Godman Field, Ft Knox, Kentucky, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
• Runner twice won Olympic 800 meters, The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California), 21 Nov 2015, Sat, Page 14; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Whitfield-1093 : accessed 9 Nov 2023).