In Memoriam : Harry Stewart Jr., one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 100

Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr, a distinguished World War II pilot who broke racial barriers as a Tuskegee Airmen, has died.

He was 100.

Passing details for Tuskegee Airmen Harry Stewart Jr

The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum confirmed Stewart’s death to the Associated Press. The organization said he passed away peacefully at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on Sunday, Feb. 2.

He was decorated pilot

Stewart was one of the last surviving pilots of the 332nd Fighter Group also known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The pilots were the nation’s first Black military pilots. He and his fellow airmen used their skills to combat Nazi Germany during World War II. The historic group’s triumphs were celebrated in 2006 when they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Stewart was born on July 4, 1924, in Newport News, Virginia. When Stewart was two years old, his family moved to New York. Stewart had dreamed of flying since he was a child when he would watch planes at LaGuardia airport.

His time as a Tuskegee Airmen

When Stewart was 18 years old, he volunteered for the United States Army Air Forces, joining what was then considered an experiment to train Black military pilots. The unit sometimes was also known as the Tuskegee Airmen for where they trained in Alabama or the Red Tails because of the red tips of their P-51 Mustangs.

Stewart and the other Tuskegee Airmen served in Nazi-occupied Europe, protecting B-24 bombers from enemy fire. Stewart was one of four Tuskegee Airmen to shoot down three German aircrafts during a dogfight on April 1, 1945. He was recognized for this impeccable skill, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

He would later participate as a part of a team of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the U.S. Air Force Top Gun flying competition in 1949, but their accomplishment would not be recognized until decades later.

Life after active duty

In Jan. 1950, Stewart left active duty and attended New York University through the GI Bill. Stewart graduated with a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and decided to remain in the Air Force Reserve as an instructor and test pilot until his retirement in the 1960s.

Harry Stewart Jr’s personal life

Stewart refused to let the history and impact of the Tuskegee Airmen be swept under the rug and continued to educate Americans about the lasting impact of the historic fighter group.

As a result of Stewart’s advocacy, the Tuskegee Airman were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. And only six years ago, Stewart and Philip Handleman co-authored Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman’s Firsthand Account of World War II.

Stewart married Delphine Stewart, the sister of a fellow Tuskegee Airman. Delphine passed away at the age of 89 in 2015. From this union, the couple had one daughter, Lori Collette Stewart, who survives her parents.