Decorated Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Harry T. Stewart Jr. Dies at 100
One of the last survivors among the famed Tuskegee Airmen combat pilots died on Sunday, Feb. 2, in Bloomfield Hills.
Lt. Col. Harry T. Stewart Jr., 100, of Bloomfield Hills, was one of only two of the last surviving combat pilots in the World War II 332nd Fighter Group, known widely as the Tuskegee Airmen, the country’s first Black military pilots. Stewart received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in escorting U.S. bombers during World War II and his heroism in combat.
VA News noted that Stewart joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and received his wings in June 1944. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and learned to fly P-40 and P-47 fighter aircraft at Walterboro Army Airfield in South Carolina. He later served with the 301 Fighter Squadron in the 332nd Fighter Group, known as the Red Tails.
The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum recorded that Stewart was one of only four Tuskegee Airmen who shot down three enemy aircraft in one day. He also was part of the team that participated in the U.S. Air Force’s inaugural Top Gun Aerial Combat competition in 1949.
Following his involvement in World War II, Stewart attended and graduated from New York University with a degree in mechanical engineering. He later served as a vice president at Detroit’s ANR Pipeline Co. until his retirement.
“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,” said Brian Smith, president, and CEO of the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, in a statement released to Local News 4 Detroit. “We are deeply saddened by his passing and extend our condolences to his family and friends around the world.”
Stewart was married to Delphine Alice Friend Stewart, who died in 2015. He is survived by his daughter, Lori Collette Stewart of Bloomfield Hills, and extended family and friends.
