Harry Stewart grew up with a love of flying and dreamed of becoming an airline pilot one day. But shortly after graduating high school, with the nation at war, Stewart found himself in in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
The military needed skilled pilots but would not let black and white personnel train or serve together. Stewart was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he and other black pilots and crew members prepared to serve as fighter pilot escorts for American bombers over Europe.
In this interview with the American Veterans Center's Greg Corombos, Col. Stewart describes the training, what it was like to experience combat in the air, and the day he was credited with shooting down three German planes.
Stewart also takes us into the historic performance of his team at the Top Gun competition after the war, the racism he faced in returning to civilian life, and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen in transforming American society.
Harry Stewart grew up with a love of flying and dreamed of becoming an airline pilot one day. But shortly after graduating high school, with the nation at war, Stewart found himself in in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
The military needed skilled pilots but would not let black and white personnel train or serve together. Stewart was sent to Tuskegee, Alabama, where he and other black pilots and crew members prepared to serve as fighter pilot escorts for American bombers over Europe.
In this interview with the American Veterans Center's Greg Corombos, Col. Stewart describes the training, what it was like to experience combat in the air, and the day he was credited with shooting down three German planes.
Stewart also takes us into the historic performance of his team at the Top Gun competition after the war, the racism he faced in returning to civilian life, and the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen in transforming American society.
read more
read less
