[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING LIEUTENANT COLONEL HARRY T. STEWART, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 17, 2023

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History month, I want 
to honor Lieutenant Colonel Harry T. Stewart, Jr., one of our Nation's 
most decorated Tuskegee Airmen who flew with the storied Red Tails, the 
332nd Fighter Group made up of African American pilots in the then-
segregated U.S. military.
  Stewart's lifelong passion for flight began at a young age. At the 
age of 17, he passed a military exam identifying potential pilots and 
enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. Following 
flight training at Tuskegee Airfield in Alabama, Stewart was awarded 
his pilot wings and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Stewart 
then completed combat fighter training in both the P-40 Warhawk and the 
P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft, and in 1944 was sent to Italy for 
combat operations. As a member of the all-black 332d Fighter Group, 
Stewart flew 43 combat missions in the P-51 Mustang, escorting heavy 
bombers to their targets, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.
  In addition to his heroic actions during World War II, Stewart 
represented the 332nd Composite Group in the inaugural ten-day 
``William Tell'' National Gunnery meet in Nevada. This meet would later 
become the equivalent of the U.S. Navy's ``Top Gun'' competition. His 
team's skills shined through in the competition, and the 332nd won 
first place in the conventional fighter class.
  Stewart received an honorable discharge in 1950 and stayed in the 
Reserves, eventually retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He went on to 
earn his bachelor's degree and worked in the private sector until his 
retirement, and now resides in Michigan.
  Please join me in recognition of Lieutenant Colonel Harry T. Stewart, 
Jr. as we celebrate his courageous service to our country.

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