Lt. Col. George Hardy flew with the 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd
Fighter Group in 1945, piloting “Tall in the Saddle,” previously
flown by Capt. Wendell Lucas. At 19 years old, he joined the 99th in
April 1945 as a replacement pilot, participating in 21 combat
missions, primarily high-altitude escorts with some strafing. After
returning to the U.S. in August 1945, he was discharged in November
1946.

Hardy returned to active duty in June 1948, flying P-47s with the
301st Fighter Squadron and the 332nd Fighter Group at Lockbourne Air
Force Base in Ohio. Following the Air Force’s desegregation in July
1949, he joined the 19th Bomb Group in Guam. He later relocated to
Okinawa during the Korean War, where he flew 45 combat missions and
earned the command pilot ranking in September 1959.

During the Vietnam War, from April 1970 to April 1971, Hardy served
with the 18th Special Operations Squadron at Phan Rang Air Force Base
in Vietnam. He later became the operating location commander at Udorn,
Thailand. At Danang Air Force Base in Vietnam, he flew 70 combat
missions in AC-119K gunships over northern Laos and the Ho Chi Minh
Trail. Hardy retired in November 1971, decorated with several
prestigious awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross with
Valor, an Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, a Commendation Medal
with one oak leaf cluster, and a bronze replica of the Congressional
Gold Medal.
