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Tuskegee Airman George Hardy, 87, Broke Down Racial Barriers

Published

13 years ago

February 23, 2013

Retired lieutenant colonel George Hardy, 87, helped break down military racial barriers as a Tuskegee Airman, a topic he’ll be talking about at a Black History event called ‘They Dared to Fly’ in Lakeland.

By Josh Rojas

A Tuskegee Airman, retired lieutenant colonel George Hardy, 87, fought fascism in World War II and helped break down racial barriers in the American military.
“When I went into the service in ‘43, racial segregation was rigidly enforced,” Hardy said. “No fraternization, that is, mixing with races. So, we were completely segregated at Tuskegee and even overseas.”
Hardy said he was only 18 when he learned how to be a fighter pilot in Tuskegee, Alabama.
“It’s in those towns that you know what hatred is when you’d see some of us come-in in uniform and whites in the town look at you and you see the hatred in their eyes,” he said. “It’s just something you never forget.”
Hardy began his career as a second lieutenant in the all-black 99th Fighter Squadron, escorting bombers over Germany during the war in a P-51 “Mustang” fighter plane.
“This airplane could go with the bombers as far as they had to go. Take them to the target and bring them back,” Hardy said. “The P-51 was a real airplane.”
After flying 21 missions, he left the Air Force in 1946 to pursue an engineering degree at New York University. He was asked to come back in 1949 and was assigned to the 19th Bomb Group in Guam.
“I was the only colored person in the group,” Hardy said. “I was a maintenance officer supervising about 30 airmen, all white.”   Hardy said the racial barriers were starting to come down, but he still experienced discrimination during the Korean War when a new squadron commander would not allow him to fly.
“I was in the right seat cockpit going through my checklist and I hear someone say, ‘Hardy, get down out of the airplane.’ He pulled me down and replaced me. He didn’t want me flying.”
Hardy said that B-29 “Superfortress” bomber ended up being shot down during the flight.  “The airplane with my crew on board was shot down over North Korea,” he said.
“It was attacked by two fighters, the engine set on fire, and they couldn’t put it out. So, all had to bail out.”   Hardy said two airmen were captured and later died in a prison camp.
The bomber commander and the rest of the crew were rescued.  ”That was the first B-29 shot down. When the aircraft commander got back, he said, ‘George, if you’d been there, I don’t think it would’ve happened,’” Hardy said.
The squadron commander who wouldn’t let Hardy fly was replaced a short time later.
“His replacement put me back on flying again,” he said. “So, I got to fly my 45 missions over Korea.”
Ten years later, Hardy said he ended up working again for that same squadron commander, and his attitude toward Blacks had changed.
“He’s now a full colonel, and he was my immediate boss,” Hardy said. “I couldn’t have a commanding officer who treated me any better than he did. Somehow he had made a change as far as I was concerned.”
Hardy also flew 70 missions during the Vietnam War as pilot of an AC-119 “Stinger” Gunship.
Hardy retired as a lieutenant colonel after serving 28-years in the military. He was part of a group of Tuskegee Airmen who were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007.
He vividly remembers what President George W. Bush said at the time to the group: “For most of the salutes you didn’t get, I salute you.”
Looking back, Hardy is proud of the role he played helping break down racial barriers in the military as one of the nation’s first Black pilots.
“When I left the service, it was a completely different service, as far as race is concerned,” he said. “I feel fortunate I was able to experience all of this, to see the change in this country.”

Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

12 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.