The [February 6, 2025] Tuskegee Pilot Harry Stewart, Jr., dies at the age of 100. I never met Lt. Col. Stewart but I did have the honor of having lunch with several Tuskegee airmen at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey back in the late 1990s. In this article’s thumbnail, you can see Stewart holding up three fingers for three German fighter planes he shot down.
Lt. Col. Stewart was one of last surviving combat pilots from the famous 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen. The men of WWII were real men. Whether you had the opportunity to meet one of these heroes or not, you still have to respect them as any other WWII hero on the battlefield. They were not victims, they were what we all strive to be, honorable men, doing their very best under the most difficult of circumstances.
Author and historian Philip Handleman wrote the book, Soaring to Glory: a Tuskegee Airman’s Firsthand Account of World War II. He has an article at American Heritage, Summer 2023, where he gives a summary of Steward life, focusing on his time in combat. I recommend the book for many reasons, mainly to get a view of what it was like back in the big war.
Like we see in the culture of those who fly and support military aircraft, the tails were painted to help pilots tell which air group they were flying alongside. The 332nd FG and their sister unit, the 477th Bombardment Group had the aircraft tails painted red. And that is, of course, how they got the nickname “Red Tails.”
Lt. Col. Harry Stewart grandson of a slave in the pre-Civil War South, had come a long way. And we owe him and all the pilots and crews that flew in WWII a huge debt of gratitude. We salute you sir and all your comrades.
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Please read my books:
So, So Sad that these real men who might show us the way to greatness are nearly all gone.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the Tuskegee Airmen who served valiantly in World War 2. I had a neighbor who had two elderly uncles who were part of the ground crew of the Tuskegee Air Force unit. So, let’s not forget that while the pilots often get the glory – they risk their lives every time they went up – there were many others in support that made it all possible.
Sir, a lovely note about the famous Red Tails. While I’m still new to your leadership website, I am enjoying what you do for us by providing real-life examples. I read earlier articles that had mentioned these Tuskegee Pilots and enjoyed the fact that they never considered themselves victims. That is a huge difference from what we see today with our lost and fragile generation coming up. Perhaps as we witness real leadership in the White House, something we’ve not seen in four years, all of us will be pulled up for greater things.
. . . . and welcome aboard, Gail, as we all wish you well on Gen. Satterfield’s site where all things about leadership are discussed. Some will be hard to take, for example, Gen. S. was very hard on ex-Pres. Joe Biden — a very very poor leader.
Yes, welcome Gail.👍
Author and historian Philip Handleman wrote the book, Soaring to Glory: a Tuskegee Airman’s Firsthand Account of World War II.
https://www.regnery.com/9781684511914/soaring-to-glory/
I’ll have to get this book. Looks like something that I would love.
We are losing our WW2 veterans at an alarming rate. Too many gone now. In just a few short years, they will all have passed. The Greatest Generation will now be but a memory.
Indeed, Army CPT, and today, as I go about my life working out in the field as a surveyor, I meet folks whose grandfathers who were in the greatest war of the 20th century. These young folks are so proud of their grandfathers who fought Nazi Fascism and Japanese Imperialism. They tell me the stories that are so often forgotten and lost to time, but alas they know those stories and can pass them down to their families and friends. This is what a legacy means and I’m happy for them. Gen. Satterfield, please keep stories like Tuskegee Airmen alive for us. 🇺🇸 This is why I’m proud to be an American.
We should all be American Patriots, just like Gen. Satterfield.
https://www.theleadermaker.com/why-im-an-american-patriot/
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
That is me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks American Girl, you are taking flak as you bomb the woke targets. American Patriots are an anaphylactic shock to political leftists and anti-Trumpers. Too bad for them as they squandered their time here on earth and do nothing of value or adopt realistic responsibilities. Keep these coming our way Gen. Satterfield. And I read your books.
I salute you, Tuskegee Pilot Lt. Col. Harry Stewart, Jr.