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Lt. Col. George Hardy, one of the last surviving members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, has died at age 100.
Hardy served in World War II as part of the unit of America’s first Black military pilots. At age 19, he became the youngest Red Tail fighter pilot to fly his first combat sortie over Europe, according to the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Office.
“His legacy is one of courage, resilience, tremendous skill and dogged perseverance against racism, prejudice and other evils,” the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. national office said in a statement Friday. “We are forever grateful for his sacrifice and will hold dear to his memory.”
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Stationed at Ramitelli Air Field in Italy during WWII, Hardy completed 21 missions over Germany and occupied Europe in P-51 Mustang aircraft. His death leaves only 13 Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen alive today, the organization noted.
U.S. Air Force retired Lt. Col. George E. Hardy, a Tuskegee Airman, stands next to his former P-51D Mustang at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, on Oct. 4, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield)
Hardy, who was born in Philadelphia in 1925 and was the second of seven children, was upstairs doing homework on Dec. 7, 1941, when he was interrupted with news of the Pearl Harbor attack, according to the National WWII Museum.
In 1944, he entered the U.S. Army Air Forces, trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. By early 1945, Hardy deployed to Italy with the African American 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, the National WWII Museum noted.
Retired servicemen Lt. Col. George Hardy, left, and Brig. Gen. Enoch Woodhouse, both former Tuskegee Airmen, attend a funeral service in honor of 2nd Lt. Fred L. Brewer Jr. at Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, N.C., Dec. 6, 2023. (U.S. Army / Spc. Hermon Whaley Jr.)
Hardy’s service extended beyond World War II, flying 45 missions in the Korean War and 70 in the Vietnam War.
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He later earned degrees at the Air Force Institute of Technology and helped develop the Department of Defense’s first global military telephone system before retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1971, according to the National WWII Museum.
A World War II-era P-51D Mustang sits next to a 493rd Fighter Squadron F-15C Eagle at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Oct. 4, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Senior Airman Malcolm Mayfield)
Following his retirement, Hardy became an advocate for keeping the Tuskegee Airmen’s story alive, speaking to students nationwide. The Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 and, in 2024, the National WWII Museum’s American Spirit Award.
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“When I think about the fellas who flew before me and with me at Tuskegee, and the fact that we did prove that we could do anything that anyone else could do, and it’s paid off today … it’s hard to believe that I’m here receiving this award — with them,” Hardy said when accepting the American Spirit Award on behalf of the Tuskegee Airmen.