Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. George Hardy died at the age of 100, the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. announced Thursday.
At 19, he was the youngest Red Tail fighter pilot to fly his first solo combat mission over Europe as a Tuskegee Airman.
“His legacy is one of courage, resilience, tremendous skill and dogged perseverance against racism, prejudice and other evils,” the group said on its Facebook page Friday.
Hardy was stationed in Italy during World War II where he finished 21 missions over Germany piloting a P-51 Mustang aircraft. His job was often escorting heavy bombers. In an oral history interview in 2014, Hardy recalled one time when his plane was hit by fire. He saw a burst of light on the cockpit floor.
“What happened was something came through and splintered the aluminum on one side of the plane,” he recalled to the National WWII Museum. “And light started coming through on my feet.”
He later fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Hardy was born in 1925 in Philadelphia, according to the museum. Hardy had wanted to join the Navy at 17, like one of his brothers, but his father would not sign the papers because of racism in the military. Hardy later joined the Air Force and trained at the Tuskegee Army Airfield in 1944.
He was among the first Black Americans to serve as pilots for the military as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen.
“We’re Afro American, racial segregation was really rigid,” he told PBS in 2022. “Then, the Navy would only take you if you were a mess attendant, associated with serving and preparing the food. There were no colored officers in the Navy.”
Hardy retired from the military in 1971 and became an engineer and project manager after obtaining a master’s degree in engineering.
Hardy was awarded honors for his service, including the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, a Commendation Medal and a Congressional Gold Medal.
Hardy spent the later years of his life speaking on the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.
On Friday, the Alabama National Guard posted a tribute to Hardy on Facebook.
“A veteran of three wars and 136 combat missions, Hardy embodied courage, perseverance, and service to our nation. May he rest in peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations.”
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