Decorated pilot Harry Stewart, Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 100

Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr, a decorated World War II aviator who broke radical barriers arsenic a Tuskegee Airmen and earned honors for his combat heroism, has died. He was 100.

Stewart was 1 of the past surviving combat pilots of the famed 332nd Fighter Group besides known arsenic the Tuskegee Airmen. They were the nation’s archetypal Black subject pilots.

The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum confirmed his death. The enactment said helium died peacefully astatine his location successful Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, connected Sunday.

Stewart earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing 3 German craft during a dogfight connected April 1, 1945. He was besides portion of a squad of 4 Tuskegee Airmen who won the U.S. Air Force Top Gun flying competition successful 1949, though their accomplishment would not beryllium recognized until decades later.

“Harry Stewart was a benignant antheral of profound quality and accomplishment with a distinguished vocation of work helium continued agelong aft warring for our state successful World War II,” Brian Smith, president and CEO of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, said.

Born connected July 4, 1924, successful Virginia, his household moved to New York erstwhile helium was young. Stewart had dreamed of flying since helium was a kid erstwhile helium would ticker planes astatine LaGuardia airport, according to a publication astir his beingness titled “Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airmen’s Firsthand Account of World War II.” In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, an 18-year-old Stewart joined what was past considered an experimentation to bid Black subject pilots. The portion sometimes was besides known arsenic the Tuskegee Airmen for wherever they trained successful Alabama oregon the Red Tails due to the fact that of the reddish tips of their P-51 Mustangs.

“I did not admit astatine the clip the gravity of what we are facing. I conscionable felt arsenic though it was a work of excavation astatine the time. I conscionable stood up to my duty,” Stewart said of World War II successful a 2024 interview with CNN astir the war.

Having grown up successful a multicultural neighborhood, the segregation and prejudice of the Jim Crow-era South came arsenic a daze to Stewart, but helium was determined to decorativeness and gain his wings according to the publication astir his life. After finishing training, the pilots were assigned to escort U.S. bombers successful Europe. The Tuskegee Airmen are credited with losing importantly less escorted bombers than different combatant groups.

“I got to truly bask the thought of the panorama, I would say, of the country I would spot earlier maine with the hundreds of bombers and the hundreds of combatant planes up determination and each of them pulling the condensation trails, and it was conscionable the ballet successful the entity and a feeling of belonging to thing that was truly big,” Stewart said successful a 2020 interview with WAMC.

Stewart would sometimes accidental successful a self-effacing mode that helium was excessively engaged enjoying flying to recognize helium was making history, according to his book.

Stewart had hoped to go a commercialized hose aviator aft helium near the military, but was rejected due to the fact that of his race. He went connected to gain a mechanical engineering grade astatine New York University. He relocated to Detroit and retired arsenic vice president of a earthy state pipeline company.

Stewart told Michigan Public Radio successful 2019 that helium was moved to tears connected a caller commercialized formation erstwhile helium saw who was piloting the aircraft.

“When I entered the plane, I looked into the cockpit determination and determination were 2 African American pilots. One was the co-pilot, and 1 was the pilot. But not lone that, the happening that started bringing the tears to my eyes is that they were some female,” Stewart said.

The Air Force past period concisely removed grooming courses with videos of its storied Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots, oregon WASPs successful an effort to comply with the Trump administration’s crackdown connected diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The materials were rapidly restored pursuing a bipartisan backlash.