One of the Last Surviving Tuskegee Airmen Dies at 100

The aviation history community is mourning the passing of George Hardy, a World War II veteran, who died this week at the age of 100. Hardy was among the last surviving members of the pioneering Tuskegee Airmen.

Hardy’s passing was announced last Friday by 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 organisation wrote in the announcement. “We are forever grateful for his sacrifice and will hold dear to our memory.”

Hardy was born in 1925 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as the second of seven children. On December 7, 1941, when Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbour, Hardy recalled being upstairs working on homework when the radio broadcast of the Eagles football game was interrupted to announce the news.

His elder brother enlisted in the United States Navy in June and was serving as a cook on a destroyer in the North Atlantic. In 1943, after reaching the age of 17, Hardy expressed a desire to join the Navy to be with his brother. However, his father declined to sign the required documents, citing racial barriers in military roles as the reason.

Hardy subsequently enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, where he completed the Aviation Cadet Training Program at Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1944. After training as a single-engine pilot, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. In early 1945, Hardy was deployed to Italy, where he joined the African American 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group.

He completed 21 combat missions over Germany and occupied Europe as a pilot of P-51 Mustang aircraft, frequently providing escort to heavy bombers. According to the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. National Office, Hardy was the youngest Red Tail fighter pilot at 19 to fly his first combat sortie over Europe.

In a 2014 oral history interview with the National WWII Museum, Hardy described a mission where his aircraft was struck by small arms fire during a strafing run. He became aware of the hit when he noticed a flash of light piercing the usually dark cockpit floor. “What happened was something came through and splintered the aluminium on one side of the plane,” he recalled. “And light started coming through on my feet.” Such hits could be dangerous, and Hardy recalled that “we lost a number of people on strafing missions.”

Following World War II, Hardy successfully completed 45 combat missions during the Korean War and 70 in the Vietnam War. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in systems engineering from the US Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio. Moreover, he played a significant role in developing the Department of Defence's first global military telephone system. Hardy retired from the US Air Force in 1971 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, marking the end of nearly 30 years of distinguished service.

Hardy subsequently emerged as a leading advocate for the Tuskegee Airmen's legacy, educating students nationwide about their pivotal contributions. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, African Americans had not served as pilots in the U.S. military. At the urging of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, the first Black fighter squadron was established in 1941. The 99th Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group became symbols of African American participation in World War II. In total, the 992 pilots trained at Tuskegee, along with thousands of support personnel, conducted over 15,000 sorties and nearly 1,600 fighter missions across Nazi-occupied Europe, protecting B-24 bombers from enemy fire and destroying enemy targets.

In 2007, the Tuskegee Airmen were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony at the Rotunda of the US Capitol. This honour was conferred "in recognition of their unique military record, which inspired revolutionary reform in the Armed Forces." In 2024, the National WWII Museum had the privilege of presenting the Tuskegee Airmen with the American Spirit Award, the institution's highest honour, in recognition of their accomplishments and patriotism in the face of discrimination.

Hardy, upon accepting the American Spirit Award on behalf of the group, stated: “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 is survived by his four children—Josephine, Gerald, Paul, and Deborah Hardy—from his marriage to Beatrice Goode, which concluded in divorce. He is also survived by two stepchildren, Kelly LeDoux Lee and Christopher Lott, seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. His second wife, Katharine Lott, affectionately known as Bonnie, passed away in 2008 after 28 years of marriage.