Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III was born on July 13, 1923, in Montclair,
New Jersey. His family relocated to Nuangola Station, Pennsylvania, in
1936. Excelling in high school, he became senior class president and
valedictorian. Drafted into the Army in April 1943, he encountered
prejudice early on. During his train journey to Fort Meade and
Washington, D.C., Harvey experienced active racism for the first time,
an incident that left a lasting impact.

Assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corps, Harvey was not initially chosen
as a pilot. He later reapplied and successfully completed flight
training at Tuskegee Army Air Field. Commissioned as a second
lieutenant on October 16, 1944, he joined the 99th Fighter Squadron
and was assigned to the P-47. The unit’s deployment to Europe was
delayed in 1945 due to the war’s imminent end.

In 1949, Executive Order 9981 ended military segregation. The 332nd
Fighter Group’s accomplishments were recognized when three members,
including Harvey, won the first U.S. Air Force Weapons Meet at Nellis
Air Force Base in 1949, an achievement officially documented in 1995.

Harvey gained combat experience in the Korean War, becoming the first
Black jet fighter pilot in Korean airspace. His leadership during an
adverse weather bombing mission earned him the Distinguished Flying
Cross and multiple Air Medals. He served in various roles throughout
his career, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1965 after 22 years of
service.
