Tuskegee Airman Lieutenant Colonel George E. Hardy dies at 100

Lieutenant Colonel George E. Hardy has passed away at the remarkable age of 100.

He holds the distinction of being the youngest former Tuskegee Airman and enlisted when he was just 17.

Hardy was the last surviving combat pilot member of the Air Force.

Service careers in three wars

His service spanned three wars: World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam.

Trained in the Tuskegee program, he flew from 1943 to 1945 during World War II.

In 1944, he was appointed as Deputy As and served with the all-Black 99th Fighter Squadron in the Italian 332nd Fighter Group. Hardy flew the P-51 Mustang and completed 21 combat missions, providing escort to allied bombers over Germany, making him the youngest Red Tail Fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps at the time.

He served again from 1948 to 1951, with the newly established U.S. Air Force, flying 45 combat missions on B-29 bombers in South Korea alongside the 19th Bomber Group.

Hardy’s third combat rotation came during the Vietnam War, from 1970 to 1971, where he completed 70 missions in an AC-119K gunship, often flying nocturnal missions over Laos to disrupt enemy supply routes.

He retired in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel after accumulating a total of 136 combat missions spread across three conflicts.

Preserving the Tuskegee Legacy

His contributions earned him numerous military honors, including distinct aviation medals, flying crosses, and 11 Oak Leaf clusters. In 2007, he was among the Tuskegee Airmen awarded a Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush.

Following his retirement from the Air Force and a successful career in engineering, Hardy dedicated himself to sharing the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen. He became a motivational speaker and traveled widely, educating students and veterans about their experiences, focusing on their resilience against racism and segregation. His passion contributed significantly to preserving their history through various exhibits and educational initiatives.

He spent his later years in Sarasota, Florida, close to MacDill Air Force Base.

It is time for all good men to come to the aid of their own nation.