The first U.S. military service member to win an Olympic gold medal while on active duty has been buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Mal Whitfield, nicknamed "Marvelous Mal,'' was laid to rest Wednesday. He died in Washington, D.C., last November at the age of 91.
Whitfield won two gold medals in track and field during the 1948 Summer Games while on active duty as a member of the Air Force. He won the 800 meters and was part of the team that won the 4-by-400 meter relay. Whitfield won the gold medal in the 800 meters again in 1952.
Whitfield was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen in 1943. He then served in the Air Force during the Korean War.
He was the father of CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
