Harry Stewart Jr., a decorated World War II pilot and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, has died. He was 100 years old.
After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Stewart enlisted as soon as he turned 18. He joined what was considered an experiment to train Black pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama.
Stewart went on to fly 43 combat missions. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for downing three German aircraft during a single dogfight. Stewart retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1950, but later returned to the skies to give rides to aspiring young pilots.
“I did not recognize at the time the gravity of what we are facing. I just felt as though it was a duty of mine at the time. I just stood up to my duty,” Stewart told CNN during an interview about World War II in 2024.
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