As time passes, the number of surviving Tuskegee Airmen—the pioneering Black pilots who shattered racial barriers in the U.S. military—grows smaller. Yet, their legacy remains strong, even as efforts to honor them face challenges.
Col. James H. Harvey III, now 101 years old, is among the last living members of the 332nd Fighter Group, the unit that proved Black pilots could fight just as skillfully as any other during World War II. He later became the first Black jet fighter pilot to fly in Korean airspace during the Korean War, completing 126 combat missions and earning multiple military honors.
Harvey and three fellow Tuskegee Airmen made history again in 1949 by winning the first-ever U.S. Air Force Gunnery Meet, a competition showcasing the top pilots in the military. That event paved the way for today’s Navy Top Gun program—but for decades, their victory went unrecognized, and their trophy was even marked as “unknown” and misplaced. It wasn’t until 1993 that the Air Force officially acknowledged their achievement, and the missing trophy was later discovered in a museum storeroom.
“We weren’t supposed to win anything because of the color of our skin,” Harvey said. “But we won them all.”
A Legacy Under Scrutiny
Despite their historic contributions, the Tuskegee Airmen’s legacy recently faced a setback when the Air Force—following an executive order from President Donald Trump—removed training materials featuring the group from new recruit programs. The move was part of a broader rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies.
The removal sparked bipartisan backlash, and the Air Force quickly reversed course. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin explained that the videos and photos had initially been removed as part of a rushed effort to comply with Trump’s executive order.
Still, the situation left Harvey frustrated, especially as he sees prejudice continuing to persist in the U.S.
“I thought there was progress, but evidently there isn’t,” he said. “I’ll tell Trump to his face—no problem. I’ll tell him, ‘You’re a racist.’ What can they do to me? Just kill me, that’s all.”
The Lasting Impact of the Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen were formed in 1941 as the 99th Pursuit Squadron at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. By the end of World War II, they had destroyed or damaged over 400 enemy aircraft in North Africa and Europe, even sinking a German destroyer.
Of the 992 Black pilots trained, 335 were deployed, 66 were killed in action, and 32 became prisoners of war.
In 1949, just two months after their historic gunnery meet victory, the U.S. Air Force desegregated, integrating Black and white service members. The Tuskegee Airmen were absorbed into other units, but their impact on military history and civil rights was undeniable.
In 2020, Trump posthumously promoted another legendary Tuskegee Airman, Charles McGee, to brigadier general. McGee passed away in 2022 at age 102.
As for Harvey, his proudest moment remains that 1949 victory, the one the Air Force tried to forget—but ultimately couldn’t erase.
“We were good, and they couldn’t take it away from us,” he said. “We were good. And I’ll repeat it until I die.”
