George Hardy (Tuskegee Airman)
USAAF pilot (born 1925) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
George Hardy (born June 8, 1925) is an American retired pilot and military officer. In World War II Hardy served with the Tuskegee Airmen and flew 21 combat missions. In the Korean War he flew 45 combat missions as the pilot of a bomber. In the Vietnam War Hardy flew 70 combat missions piloting an AC-119K gunship.[3]
Lieutenant Colonel George Hardy | |
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| Birth name | George Edward Hardy[1] |
| Born | June 8, 1925[2] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army Air Force |
| Years of service | 1943–1971 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Awards |
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| Spouse(s) | 2nd wife Bonnie |
Early life
Hardy's parents names were Edward Hardy and Alma Vargas.[1] He was exposed to racism and segregation growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] He graduated high school in 1942 and wanted to join the military because his older brother had joined the U.S. Navy in 1941.[5] When he joined the Army Air Corps in 1943 the U.S. military was segregated.[4] Hardy faced discrimination from commanders in the Army.[6] After WWII (1947) Hardy went to school at New York University School of Engineering and Science until 1948.[7] Hardy wanted to be an engineer; he did not plan to make a career in the Air Force.[8]
Education
- Walter George Smith School[1]
- South Philadelphia High School[1]
- Bachelor of Science degree – electrical engineering
- Master of Science degree – systems engineering-reliability – U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology
- Honorary doctorate of public service from Tuskegee University[4]
Military service
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World War II
In 1943 when Hardy was 17, he joined the Army Air Corps that same year he began training to fly at the Tuskegee Air Field late.[4][6] He was deployed to Keesler Army Air Field in Biloxi, Mississippi, for basic training.[3] He graduated in 1944 as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. He was qualified to fly single-engine fighter planes and sent to Walterboro Army Air Field in South Carolina to train for combat. He completed his combat training in 1945 and was then sent to Italy.[7] Hardy became one of only about 450 Tuskegee Airmen pilots who were deployed overseas. He flew 21 combat missions over Germany in 1945.[3] The majority of his missions flying the P-51D Mustang were as bomber escort of B-17 and B-24 heavy bombers to their targets. After the war, Hardy went back to Tuskegee to train pilots.[10]
Korean War
Hardy was recalled to military service in 1948 and sent to Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. He was sent to Guam with the 19th Bomb Group. He then was sent to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa: he flew a B-29 and piloted 45 combat missions over Korea.[7] One senior officer, then-Lt Col Fred W. Miller, disliked Hardy because of his race and he removed him from a B-29 mission.[11][12] That B-29 was shot down in North Korean airspace.[13]
On a later assignment, Hardy would report to Miller who experienced a complete turnaround; Miller would regard Hardy as one of his best commanders.[11]
Vietnam War
Hardy flew 70 missions piloting a C-119 gunship in the Vietnam War.[10] He flew missions at night using infrared to destroy North Vietnamese supply routes and convoys in Laos and Cambodia.[3]
Honors and awards
- The Air Medal
- Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.[4][8]
- Congressional Gold Medal (2007)[14][N 2]
- Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor
- Florida Veterans Hall of Fame[15]
- 11 Oak Leaf Clusters
- Tuskegee University - Honorary Doctorate Degree of Public Service (2006)[15]
South Phila High School Cultural Hall of Fame
After service
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For much of the past forty years Hardy spent his time traveling throughout the country telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and their fight against racial prejudice and their combat exploits during World War Two as well as their military and civilian careers since.
By early 2025, Hardy, along with 1949 Top Gun winner James H. Harvey, III, and Dr. Eugene J. Richardson, Jr. are among the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen and the last three surviving members that graduated from Tuskegee AAF as single-engine fighter pilots. A P-51D serial number 44-72035 was restored in England to the markings of "Tall in the Saddle", the aircraft that Hardy flew in combat and it still flies at airshows there.[16]
With the death of Harry T. Stewart, Jr. on February 2, 2025, Hardy is now the last surviving member of the original Tuskegee Airmen who flew combat missions overseas as a single engine fighter pilot during World War II. He flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron of the "Red Tails" of the 332nd Fighter Group based at Ramitelli AB, Italy. ;[17] James H. Harvey, III, who did not serve in combat during World War II but later served in combat missions in the Korean War,[18] lives as well as does Dr. Eugene J. Richardson, who as a second lieutenant, also did not serve in World War II combat as he was completing advanced fighter pilot training when the war ended.[19]
See also
References
External links
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