Home > Tuskegee University Celebrates the Life of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. George Hardy

Tuskegee University Celebrates the Life of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. George Hardy

Crystal Drake 30 September 2025 2 minute read

Contact: Crystal Drake, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing

George Hardy holding picture of himself as a Tuskegee Airman — George Hardy holding photo of himself as a Tuskegee Airman. Image source: WWII Veterans History Project

Tuskegee Airman George Hardy, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who was one of the last surviving combat veterans of the Tuskegee Airmen, died last week at age 100.

Hardy served our country in three wars, 21 missions as a member of the all-Black squadron during World War II, 45 missions in the Korean War and 70 in the Vietnam War.

“Tuskegee University joins the nation in mourning the loss of Colonel Hardy,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. “He embodied every aspect of the Tuskegee Airmen ethos as a decorated pilot who was tested under circumstances unimaginable to most. He was courageous and committed to our country and to his fellow soldiers and we honor his legacy.”

Colonel Hardy, a Philadelphia native, began aviation cadet training in September 1944 at Tuskegee Army Air Field. By early the next year, in the closing months of the war in Europe, then-Second Lieutenant Hardy was assigned to an Army Air Forces base in Italy, from which he flew missions accompanying bombers to their targets over southern Germany in early 1945.

After a brief return to civilian life to study engineering, Hardy joined the newly desegregated Air Force in 1948 and became a specialist in radar and long-range navigational equipment. Deployed to Okinawa, Japan, in 1950 during the Korean War, he was assigned to co-pilot B-29 bombers.

Colonel Hardy spent years in supervisory roles involving the maintenance of electronic equipment before his final tour of duty, in Vietnam, where he piloted an AC-119K gunship. His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross and 12 Air Medal awards, recognizing single acts of extraordinary achievement or heroism. He later worked in program management for the GTE Corporation in Massachusetts for more than 15 years.

“And he never forgot his Tuskegee roots,” added Dr. Brown, “as he traveled the country to share his experiences and to serve as a living testament to the excellence of the Tuskegee Airmen training. When our country needed more fully trained and highly skilled pilots to fight in World War II, Tuskegee answered the call – as did Colonel Hardy. We salute him.”