James H. Harvey

James Henry Harvey III (born July 13, 1923) is a retired African American United States Army Air Corps/United States Air Force (USAF) officer and former fighter pilot. He served with the 99th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group—best known as the Tuskegee Airmen, "Red Tails" or, among enemy German pilots, ("Black birdmen"). He is one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen pilots.

Harvey is best known as the first African American USAF jet fighter pilot to fly combat operations in the Korean War.

Early life and education James Henry Harvey III was born in Montclair, New Jersey, on July 13, 1923. He was the son of James Harvey and Cornelia Harvey. Harvey had three younger siblings: brother Charles and sisters Dorothy and Cornelia. Harvey attended high school in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. An excellent student, he served as President of his senior class, anchor man on the tumbling team, captain of the basketball team, and was class valedictorian. |group=N

Harvey attempted to enlist with the United States Army Air Corps in January 1943 but was turned down because of his race.

The United States Army Air Forces assigned Harvey to 99th Fighter Squadron as a unit of the 477 Composite Group at Godman Army Airfield at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The 99th Fighter Squadron had just been disbanded at Ramitelli Air Base in Italy and reestablished with two of the four squadrons of the former 477th Bomb Group (medium), the 617th and 618th squadrons. The 616th and 619th squadrons were disbanded at Freeman Army Airfield in Seymour, Indiana after the Freeman Field Mutiny and the men were returned to Godman Field. Harvey did not engage in combat during World War II as the war had ended in Europe as he was awaiting transportation to deploy to Ramitelli. He remained with the 99th Fighter Squadron when the unit was moved to Lockbourne Army Airfield in March, 1946 and remained there until the 332nd Fighter Group was disbanded there upon desegregation of the USAF and US military in July, 1949 about a month after the 332nd won the conventional portion of the 1949 USAF Gunnery Meet held at Las Vegas Army Airfield, Nevada.

Winner of the 1949 Top Gun Competition Harvey admires an F-35 Lightning II at Nellis Air Force Base on January 10, 2022. He was honored the next day with the unveiling of a plaque commissioned to reaffirm the accomplishments of the 332nd Fighter Group in their historic 1949 Top Gun Competition victory. In January 1949, the Chief of Staff of the United States 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 represented the 332nd Fighter Group as a member a four-member pilot team to compete at the U.S. Air Force's inaugural Top Gun Competition held at the Las Vegas Air Force Base (now Nellis Air Force Base).

Harvey's 332nd Fighter Group team included the 100th Squadron's First Lieutenant Harry Stewart Jr., the 301st Squadron's Captain Alva Temple, 99th Squadron's First Lieutenant Halbert Alexander (who served as an alternate pilot), and Staff Sergeant Buford A. Johnson as aircraft crew chief. Harvey and his team competed in P-47N Thunderbolts

Later career and retirement James Harvey and Charles Q. Brown Jr., 21st chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during an Air Force Academy football game in Denver on November 4, 2023

In 1949, Harvey and fellow Tuskegee Airman Edward P. Drummond Jr. were transferred from Lockbourne AFB, Ohio to an F-80 squadron at the Misawa Air Base in 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 for leading four F-80s amidst bad weather conditions during a bomber support mission on October 16, 1950, near Yongsan, Korea (now the Yongsan District in Seoul, South Korea), inflicting heavy damage on an enemy encampment. During the halftime ceremony of the Air Force vs. Army football game on November 4, 2023, at Empower Field in Denver, Harvey received an honorary promotion to the rank of Colonel.

Military awards Harvey earned the following awards during his 22-year career in the United States Army Air Corps/U.S. Air Force: Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters Congressional Gold Medal Awarded to Tuskegee Airmen in 2006. Distinguished Unit Citation with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters Good Conduct Medal American Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal Army of Occupation Medal National Defense Service Medal Korean Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars Air Force Longevity Service Award ribbon with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters Air Force Reserve Medal Presidential Unit Citation (South Korea) United Nations Service Medal

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

Aircraft flown During his 22-year career, Harvey flew the following aircraft: Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Republic P-47 Thunderbolt North American P-51 Mustang Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star North American F-86 Sabre North American F-86D Sabre Northrop F-89 Scorpion Lockheed F-94 Starfire Lockheed T-33 Convair F-102 Delta Dagger