George E. Hardy, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 100 years old

George Hardy was the youngest member of the Tuskegee Airmen, flying his first combat mission over Europe at only 19 years old.

Lt. Col. George E. Hardy, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, has died at age 100. Hardy was the youngest member of the Tuskegee Airmen, and was only 19 when he flew a combat plane in his first mission in Europe. After completing 21 missions during World War II, he went on to fly in over 100 combat missions during the Vietnam and Korean wars.

The Tuskegee Airmen Inc. National Office posted a tribute to him on social media on Friday. As a member of this historical group, Hardy is among the first African Americans to serve in the U.S. Army as pilots.

“His legacy is one of courage, resilience, tremendous skill and dogged perseverance against racism, prejudice and other evils,” the post from the organization said. “We are forever grateful for his sacrifice and will hold dear to his memory.”

Hardy was born in Philadelphia in 1925, the second oldest of seven children. According to a news release from the National World War II Museum, when he turned 17, he wanted to join the Navy to be with his older brother, who was serving as a cook, but his father refused to sign the papers because of the racial discrimination in the military.

He ended up getting his opportunity to join the armed forces in 1944, where he completed pilot training through the Aviation Cadet Training Program at Tuskegee Army Air Field. In 1945, after he completed the program at 19 years old, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant, deployed to Italy, and was stationed at Ramitelli Air Field. He joined the Black flying unit, 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, which was created in 1941 by the War Department and originally called the 99th Pursuit Squadron. The Tuskegee Airmen are also known as the “Red Tails” of the 332nd Fighter Group.

After almost 30 years of service, which included 45 combat missions in the Korean War and 70 in the Vietnam War, Hardy retired from the Air Force in 1971. When he was not deployed overseas, he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in systems engineering from US Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio, and he worked with the Department of Defense to develop its first worldwide military telephone system.

The Tuskegee Airmen were honored by Congress in 2007 with the Congressional Gold Medal. The National WWII Museum also honored Hardy and the Tuskegee Airmen in 2024 with the American Spirit Award. Hardy accepted the award, which honored their “accomplishments and patriotism in the face of discrimination.”

“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 giving his acceptance speech. 

According to the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. National Office, just 13 of the original documented Tuskegee Airmen are still alive.