Harry Stewart Jr. Honored for Heroism and Inspirational Achievements

One of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., has died at 100 years old. Stewart made history as one of the first Black military pilots and was given several honors for his heroism in World War II.

"We are deeply saddened by his passing and extend our condolences to his family and friends around the world," expressed Brian Smith, president and CEO of Detroit’s Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum. "Harry Stewart was a kind man of profound character and accomplishment with a distinguished career of service he continued long after fighting for our country in World War II."

Stewart was born on July 4, 1924, in Virginia. His passion for airplanes was always evident, leading him to gun for a pilot role once he was drafted for the war. 18-year-old Stewart was shipped to Alabama’s Tuskegee Army Airfield to train with the 332nd Fighter Group, which was then known as an experiment to train Black men to be military pilots. Less than 1,000 Black pilots had completed their training before Stewart, and only one remains alive.

“I did not recognize at the time the gravity of what we are facing,” Stewart recalled in a 2024 interview. “I just felt as though it was a duty of mine at the time. I just stood up to my duty."

During the war, Stewart and other Tuskegee Airmen served as escorts for US bombers in Europe. He was able to down three German planes in a dogfight, eventually earning him a Distinguished Flying Cross. Stewart was also one of four Tuskegee Airmen who won the USAF ‘Top Gun’ flying competition in 1949.

After completing his tour, Stewart went on to receive a mechanical engineering degree from New York University. He later moved to Detroit, Michigan, and retired as Vice President of the ANR Pipeline Company. In 2019, he published his war experiences in a memoir titled "Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman's Firsthand Account of World War II.”

The legendary Tuskegee Airman died peacefully on January 2 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Stewart is survived by his daughter, Lori Collette Stewart, and other extended family members.

FMI: https://tuskegeemuseum.org