Olympian and Tuskegee Airman 'Marvelous Mal' buried at Arlington

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Malvin Greston Whitfield, a Tuskegee airman and three-time Olympic gold medalist who went by the moniker Marvelous Mal, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday.

Whitfield died in November at age 91. He joined the military in World War II and served as a tail gunner during bombing missions in the Korean War. He flew 27 missions in both wars.

In the 1948 London Olympics, Whitfield won two gold medals -- one was as a member of the 1,600-meter relay team and the other for setting an Olympic record in the 800 meter with a time of 1:49.2. He also won a bronze in the 400 meter. In the 1952 games, he took home gold in the 800 meter again and a silver as part of the 1,600-meter relay team.

Nyna Konishi, the daughter of U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt., Malvin Greston "Mal" Whitfield, mourns at her father's casket during his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia on June 8, 2016. Whitfield served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in 1943 as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen and was also a five-time Olympic medalist, including three gold. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI

Family members gathered at the National Cathedral Wednesday morning before he was buried at Arlington.

"We're not sad about his passing," his daughter, CNN Anchor Fredricka Whitfield, said. "It's just become a wonderful moment of reflection about how great he is."