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Lieutenant Colonel

James H. Harvey
Birth nameJames H. Harvey II
Born (1923-07-13) July 13, 1923 (age 101)
Montclair, New Jersey, US
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnited States Army Air Force
Years of service1944–1965
RankLieutenant Colonel
Unit
Awards

James H. Harvey III (born July 13, 1923) is a retired United States Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force (USAF) officer and former African-American fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Fighter Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails," or among enemy German pilots, Schwartze Vogelmenschen ("Black birdmen").[1] He is one of the 1007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[2]

Harvey is best known as the first African American USAF jet fighter combat pilot to fight in the Korean War.[1] Harvey and his 332nd Fighter Group Weapons pilot team won the USAF's inaugural "Top Gun" team competition in 1949.[3][4][5][6][7] Harvey — along with every member of the Tuskegee Airmen — received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006.[8] Harvey, along with Dr. Harold Brown, George Hardy, and fellow 1949 Top Gun winner Harry Stewart, Jr., are among the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen.[9]

Early life and education

Harvey was born in Montclair, New Jersey on July 13, 1923. He was the son of James Harvey and Cornelia Harvey. The oldest of four children, Harvey had 3 siblings: brother Charles and sisters Dorothy and Cornelia.[5]

Harvey attended primary school in Silver Lake, Essex County, New Jersey and Montclair, New Jersey.[5] In 1930, his family moved from Montclair to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In 1936, the Harveys moved to Nuangola Station in Northeastern Pennsylvania where they were the sole African-American family in the area.[10]

Harvey attended high school in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, An excellent student, Harvey served as President of his senior class, anchor man on the tumbling team, captain of the basketball team, and class valedictorian.[1][5]

World War II military career

P-51 aircraft with red markings.[N 1]

Harvey attempted to enlist with the United States Army Air Corps in January 1943; however, he was turned down because of his race.[3]

Drafted into the U.S. Army in April 1943, Harvey was initially assigned to the United States Army Air Corps as an engineer. After applying for the Aviation Cadet Training Program, Harvey took the Cadet Training Exam at Bolling Field, and was admitted to the Tuskegee Flight School's Aviation Cadet Training Program. After attending Basic Training in Biloxi, Mississippi for thirty days, Harvey was transferred to Tuskegee Army Air Field to begin pilot training.[7] On October 16, 1944, Harvey graduated from the Tuskegee Flight Program Army Air as a member of Class 44-4, receiving both his wings and a commission as Second Lieutenant Flying Officer. In April 1945, Harvey completed combat training in Walterboro, South Carolina at Walterboro Army Air Field where over 500 Tuskegee Airmen trained as replacement pilots for the 332nd Fighter Group and the entire 447th Bombardment Group until the base closed in October 1945.[1][12]

The United States Army Air Corps assigned Harvey to 99th Fighter Squadron in Godman Field, Kentucky. However, Harvey and his squadron did not engage in combat during World War II.

Winner of the 1949 "Top Gun Competition"

In January 1949, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force sent out a directive to each Air Force group requesting their participation in an aerial weapons competition. Four months later in May 1949, Harvey joined the 332nd Fighter Group Weapons three-member pilot team to compete at the U.S. Air Force's inaugural "Top Gun" team competition held at the Las Vegas Air Force Base (now Nellis Air Force Base).[3][4][5][6][7]

A grueling 10-day event, the conventional aircraft competition comprised six events: aerial gunnery at 20,000 feet, aerial gunnery at 12,000 feet, dive bombing, skip bombing, rocketing firing, and panel strafing.[3][4] His team lead from start to finish.[3][13]. There was another set of five events for the groups competing in the jet aircraft category, which had its own maximum number of events. The jet and conventional (propeller aircraft) units did not compete against each other.

Harvey's 332nd Fighter Group team included the 100th Squadron's First Lieutenant Harry Stewart, Jr., the 300th Squadron's Captain Alva Temple, 99th Squadron's First Lieutenant Halbert Alexander (who served as an alternate pilot), and Staff Sergeant Buford A. Johnson (August 30, 1927 – April 15, 2017) as aircraft crew chief.[7][14][15] Harvey and his team competed in P-47N Thunderbolts.[7][13]

The 332d Fighter Group won the propeller aircraft category, and the 4th Fighter Group won the jet aircraft category. There were two winning units, one in each category, and the names of both units were engraved on the trophy.

The USAF had another gunnery meet in 1950, and two other organizations won. The names of those other two organizations were also engraved on the trophy plate.

The trophy for both meets, with the four winning units engraved on it, was not put on display at the Air Force Museum because the museum did not yet exist.

The 3-foot high silver winning trophy honored the two groups that won the 1949 meet and the two groups that won the 1950 meet, in the jet and propellor or conventional aircraft categories.

Later career and retirement

In 1949, Harvey and fellow Tuskegee Airman Edward P. Drummond, Jr. (1926-2014) were transferred from Lockbourne AFB, Ohio to an F-80 squadron at the Misawa Air Base, Japan as a Fighter Pilot and Flight Commander. Harvey became the first African American jet fighter pilot to engage in combat during the Korean War. Harvey was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and several other Air Medals leading four F-80s amidst bad weather conditions during a bomber support mission October 16, 1950 near Yongsan, Korea (now the Yongsan District in Seoul, South Korea, inflicting heavy damage on an enemy encampment.[1] Harvey flew 140 missions in Korea.[4] There was no effort to obscure the achievements of any of the four USAF organizations that won the two categories of the 1949 and 1950 gunnery meets.

After the Korean War, Harvey served in multiple roles. In 1951, Harvey served as the Assistant Operations Officer, Instrument Instructor Pilot and Aircraft Test Pilot in the 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at George Air Force Base in California. In 1955, Harvey served as the Flying Safety Officer of the 27th NORAD Region, Norton AFB in California, receiving the Flight Rating of "Command Pilot". In 1956, Harvey became the Fighter Training Officer of North Eastern Air Command Headquarters at Pepperrell AFB in Newfoundland. In 1959, Harvey served as the Assistant Group Operations Officer of the 1st Fighter Group and the Operations Officer of the 71st Fighter Interceptor Squadron flying F-102 aircraft at Selfridge AFB in Michigan. In 1961, Harvey was assigned to Headquarters 30th NORAD Region, Truax Field, Wisconsin as a Weapons Director Staff Officer and later as Battle Staff Training Officer for the Commanding General and his staff.[1]

On March 31, 1965, Harvey retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He served a combined 22 years in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force.

On June 7, 1965, American meat and cold cut production company Oscar Mayer hired Harvey as a corporate Salesman, relocating his family of four girls across the U.S. In April 1972, Oscar Mayer transferred Harvey to Denver, Colorado where he lives today.[1] He retired from Oscar Mayer in 1980.[1]

Military awards

Harvey earned the following awards during his 22 year career in the United States Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force:[4]

Honors

On March 29, 2007, Harvey — along with every member of the Tuskegee Airmen — was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.[8]

Aircraft flown

During his 22 year career, Harvey flew the following aircraft:[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "James H. Harvey, III". CAF RISE ABOVE. 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  2. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e 'Tuskegee Top Gun' James Harvey, the First African American Jet Combat Pilot, retrieved 2021-07-06
  4. ^ a b c d e f "James H. Harvey III | National Air and Space Museum". airandspace.si.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Attitude". tuskegeetopgun.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  6. ^ a b "Tuskegee Airman James Harvey, the Military's First "Top Gun" | American Veterans Center". www.americanveteranscenter.org. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Tuskegee Top Gun". www.tuskegeetopgun.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  8. ^ a b c Leader, Times (2019-05-08). "Saluting an American hero". Times Leader. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  9. ^ "An Interview with 95-Year-Old Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Harry Stewart". History. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  10. ^ "Harvey, James H. | Gathering of Eagles Foundation". Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  11. ^ Rice, Markus. "The Men and Their Airplanes: The Fighters." Tuskegee Airmen, 1 March 2000.
  12. ^ "Walterboro, SC - Walterboro, South Carolina Map & Directions - MapQuest". www.mapquest.com. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  13. ^ a b "Harry T. Stewart Jr". CAF RISE ABOVE. 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  14. ^ Later killed in an F-86 Aircraft accident, while flying over Chelmsford, Massachusetts on March 25, 1953.
  15. ^ "Buford Alvin Johnson". CAF RISE ABOVE. 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2021-07-06.

Notes

  1. ^ The Tuskegee Airmen became known for flying the P-51 aircraft with red markings that distinguished the Tuskegee Airmen included red bands on the noses of P-51s as well as a red rudder; their P-51B and D Mustangs flew with similar color schemes, with red propeller spinners, yellow wing bands and all-red tail surfaces.[11]
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