Overview

• Hardy died in Sarasota, Florida at age 100, according to Tuskegee Airmen Inc. and museum statements.
• The Associated Press reports he was the last surviving Tuskegee combat pilot who deployed overseas.
• He flew 21 World War II missions with the 332nd Fighter Group’s 99th Fighter Squadron after earning his commission at 19.
• According to the U.S. Air Force, he completed 45 combat missions in the Korean War and 70 in the Vietnam War before retiring in 1971.
• His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor and an Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, and he shared the 2007 Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Tuskegee Airmen.