Last? Tuskegee Airman dies

George Hardy, one of the last World War II ‘Tuskegee Airman’ pilots has died at the age of 100, it was announced Friday.

Mr. Hardy was the youngest of the 932 pilots commissioned.

Hardy was 19 when he flew his first combat sortie over Europe, the office said. He was the youngest Red Tail fighter pilot to do so. He was stationed in Italy during World War II and completed 21 missions.

Mr. Hardy wasn’t through with flying after surviving 21 combat missions in WWII.

Hardy also served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Office said. The museum said he flew 45 combat missions in the Korean War and 70 during the Vietnam War.

When not overseas, Hardy earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in systems engineering at the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, the National WWII Museum said. He worked with the Department of Defense on creating the first worldwide military telephone system.  CBS News

Hardy retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Col. in 1971. He became active in the Tuskegee Airman’s Association and when the group was presented an American Spirit Award by the National WW II Museum in 2024, Hardy accepted it on the group’s behalf.

I make that a total of 136 combat missions across three wars. Nowhere close to any record (look up Hans-Ulrich Rudel), but this was a man who obviously stepped up to the pump more than once.

The question mark in the title line should be at the end of this question: How do you define a Tuskegee Airman?

The Tuskegee Airmen were the first Black servicemembers to serve as pilots in the U.S. military. They served in the 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group, as well as in support roles. Only 13 documented original Tuskegee Airmen are still alive today, the office said.   CBS News

Yet in February when we reported Harry Stewart, Jr.’s passing, according to UPI there were 355 pilots commissioned and Mr. Hardy was the last extant of the 332 Fighter Group.  The 99th Squadron should have, on paper, had three Fighter Groups (which apparently it never did.) As of 2023, the Tuskegee Airman Association reported 18 living pilots, 13 today, but The Chicago-Sun Times and Fox agree there are only 3. And that is just the pilots – do the support guys count as well? Like many things in war, the record is not 100% precise and I wouldn’t presume to argue with their guardians – let’s just go with too few left and too old to last much longer.

Category: Air Force, We Remember, WWII