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First active-duty gold medal winner buried at Arlington

A U.S. Air Force Honor Guard casket team carries the remains of Tuskegee Airman Mal Whitfield at Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday, June 8, 2016, in Arlington, Va. Whitfield was the first service member to win a gold medal while on active duty and also helped the U.S. win the 1,600 meter relay title in 1948. He successfully defended his 800 meter title in 1952. Whitfield, 91, died in November in Washington. (AP Photo/Paul Holston) A U.S. Air Force Honor Guard casket team carries the remains of Tuskegee Airman Mal Whitfield at Arlington National Cemetery, Wednesday, June 8, 2016, in Arlington, Va. Whitfield was the first service member to win a gold medal while on active duty and also helped the U.S. win the 1,600 meter relay title in 1948. He successfully defended his 800 meter title in 1952. Whitfield, 91, died in November in Washington. (AP Photo/Paul Holston)

By Associated Press June 8, 2016 1 min read

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – 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.

In 1943, Whitfield was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, then served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

He was the father of CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield.