Air Force Legend Flew 140 Missions in the Korean War With the 332nd Fighter Group

Col. James Harvey III, one of the Tuskegee Airmen, celebrated his 102nd birthday on July 13. Though another year has passed, the one thing that has never faltered is his passion for service and spirit of resilience.

“Being old doesn’t mean anything,” Harvey stated. “It’s just a number. It’s your attitude: you have to keep a positive attitude about everything. If you do that, you’re all right. And have a sense of humor. If you don’t have a sense of humor, you’re dead in the water.”

The aviation legend was born on July 13, 1923, in Montclair, New Jersey. He excelled from a young age, earning the titles of Senior Class President and Valedictorian. In April 1943, Harvey was drafted into the US Army and began facing extreme racial discrimination and prejudice. He was assigned to the Air Corps as an engineer, given the task of creating airstrips within Pacific jungles.

However, Harvey knew he wanted to fly. He reapplied and was accepted for flight training at Alabama’s Moton Field, graduating from Tuskegee Army Air Field as a second lieutenant in October 1944.

Harvey began his flying career with the P-47 in the 99th Fighter Squadron. Before the group was disbanded, he and his team took home a gold medal in the first-ever US Air Force ‘Top Gun’ type competition… though he was not recognized for the feat until 1995, when the USAF archives were finally updated.

In the Korean War, Harvey served as a flight commander, test pilot, assistant group operations officer, flight safety officer, and Battle Staff Training Officer for the Commanding General of NORAD. He went on to fly 140 missions in the conflict in a variety of aircraft, including the P-40, P-51, P-80, F-86, T-33, and F-102.

In May 1965, with twenty-two years under his belt, Harvey retired from his career in the US military. It was only after this that Harvey’s story finally began to spread, earning him and every member of the Tuskegee Airmen a Congressional Gold Medal in March 2007.

FMI: www.afhistory.af.mil