BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., who was in the 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, died at the age of 100 in Bloomfield Hills Feb. 2.
Published February 17, 2025
BLOOMFIELD HILLS — Retired Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., who was in the 301st Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, died at the age of 100 in Bloomfield Hills Feb. 2.
Stewart was born in Newport News, Virginia, on July 4, 1924. His family later moved to Queens, New York, when he was young.
As a teenager, he dropped out of high school to sign up to serve in the war.
Stewart was among the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of WWII Black military pilots.
From 1941-1946, around 1,000 Black pilots were trained in Tuskegee, Alabama. At the time, the country was still widely segregated.
“Returning home, they found, obviously, a celebration of V-E (Victory in Europe) Day, but they still came home to a country very much still segregated and still struggling with that,”James Bertolino, a museum historian at the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy, said. “I think their legacy, though, is just unbreakable. They shattered barriers, they opened doors for future generations, and they weren’t just the masters of the air, they were masters of their own fate.”
Until this experiment by the military, most Black service members were working in support roles, such as labor and supply. The Tuskegee Airmen demonstrated that Black soldiers were just as capable as white soldiers when given the same opportunities and training.
“They weren’t supposed to fly. They were denied this chance simply because of the color of their skin, and they faced prejudice head on and refused to be held back,” Bertolino said.
During combat, Stewart flew 43 missions. On April 1, 1945, he had three aerial victories, which earned him a Distinguished Flying Cross.
In 1949, after his time in the war, Stewart became one of the first “Top Guns” by winning the first United States Air Force fighter gunnery competition with his 332nd Fighter Group. However, the group did not receive recognition for this accomplishment for decades.
In 1950, Stewart was honorably discharged from active duty, but he was a reservist for years before retiring. In 1963, he graduated from New York University with a degree in mechanical engineering and was the vice president of the ANR Pipeline Company.
John Lind, the director and founder of the Detroit Arsenal of Democracy, knew Stewart well from different events for veterans. According to Lind, Stewart made an effort to show up to such events.
Lind said it was always “a joy to be there with him.”
“He was always interesting and he was always generous with his time,” Lind said.
