George Hardy (born June 8, 1925) is an American retired pilot and military officer. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Hardy served with the

Tuskegee Airmen The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of primarily African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Fighter Group, 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the ...

and flew 21 combat missions. In the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

he flew 45 combat mission as the pilot of a bomber. In the Vietnam War Hardy flew 70 combat missions piloting an AC-119K gunship.

Early life

Hardy's parents names were Edward Hardy and Alma Vargas. He was exposed to racism and segregation growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated high school in 1942 and wanted to join the military because his older brother had joined the U.S. Navy in 1941. When he joined the

Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps: * Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army * Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941) * United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...

in 1943 the U.S. military was segregated. Hardy faced discrimination from commanders in the Army. After WWII (1947) Hardy went to school at New York University School of Engineering and Science until 1948. Hardy wanted to be an Engineer, he did not plan to make a career in the Air Force.

Education

* Walter George Smith School * South Philadelphia High School * Bachelor of Science Degree –

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Master of Science Degree A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

– Systems Engineering-Reliability – U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology *

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

of Public Service from

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was d ...

Military service

World War II

In 1943 when Hardy was 17, he joined the

that same year he began training to fly at the Tuskegee Air Field late. He was deployed to Keesler Army Air Field in Biloxi, Mississippi for basic training. He graduated in 1944 as a second Lieutenant in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He was qualified to fly single-engine planes and sent to

Walterboro Army Air Field Lowcountry Regional Airport is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Walterboro, a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. It is owned by the city and c ...

in South Carolina to train for combat. He completed his combat training in 1945 and was then sent to Italy. Hardy became one of only about 450 Tuskegee Airmen who were deployed overseas. He flew 21 combat missions over Germany in 1945. The majority of his missions he escorted bombers to their targets. After the war, Hardy went back to Tuskegee to train pilots.

Korean War

Hardy was recalled in 1948 and sent to

Keesler Air Force Base Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nati ...

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. One senior officer, then-Lt Col Fred W. Miller, disliked Hardy because of his race and he removed him from a B-29 mission.American Veterans Center. "Lt. Colonel George Hardy, Tuskegee Airmen (Full Interview)". Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTyxrHSigj0 That B-29 was shot down in North Korean airspace. On a later assignment, Hardy would report to Miller who experienced a complete turnaround; Miller would regard Hardy as one of his best commanders.

Vietnam War

Hardy flew 70 missions piloting a C-119 gunship in the Vietnam War. He flew missions at night using infrared to destroy North Vietnamese supply routes and convoys in

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

Honors and awards

*The

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

*Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. * Congressional Gold Medal (2007) * Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor *Florida Veterans Hall of Fame *11 Oak Leaf Clusters *Tuskegee University - Honorary Doctorate Degree of Public Service (2006)

After service

Hardy was one of 188 Tuskegee airmen who attended President Barack Obama’s first inauguration. He now travels the country telling the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and speaking about segregation. Hardy, along with 1949 Top Gun winners James H. Harvey and

Harry Stewart, Jr. Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. (born July 4, 1924) is a retired United States Army Air Forces officer, a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, and a fighter pilot who served in the 332nd Fighter Group, best known as the all-African American Tuskegee ...

, are among the last surviving members of the

.An Interview with 95-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Harry Stewart" History on the Net. © 2000–2021, Salem Media. June 25, 2021. https://www.historyonthenet.com/interview-94-year-old-tuskegee-airman-lt-col-harry-stewart.

References

Notes

External links

Fly Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwing ...

(2009 play about the 332d Fighter Group)
George Hardy InterviewGeorge Hardy in television interview
prior to the 2019

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin ...

Tuskegee Airmen
at

Tuskegee Airmen Archives
at the

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...

Libraries.
Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.

(

U.S. National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational properties ...

)
Tuskegee Airmen National Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, George 1925 births Living people United States Army Air Forces officers People from Tuskegee, Alabama Tuskegee Airmen Tuskegee University alumni Military personnel from Tuskegee, Alabama Military personnel from Philadelphia Congressional Gold Medal recipients United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II United States Air Force colonels American Korean War pilots United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War American Vietnam War pilots 21st-century African-American people