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“We weren’t supposed to be able to fly aircraft, we weren’t supposed to be able to win this competition, but we did and we were the best… Mission accomplished.”
– Lt. Col. James H. Harvey III, age 98
Harvey was a member of the 332nd Fighter Group, better known as the Tuskegee Airmen. In 1949, Harvey and three teammates represented the Tuskegee Airmen in the inaugural Top Gun competition in Las Vegas. Only the finest aviators in the country could compete, and they came together for ten days of challenging airborne events.
Even though they were flying older aircraft, the intrepid 332nd team earned the highest score in the propeller class. But, the record books did not reflect their historic win, and their trophy disappeared.
Check out Lt. Col. Harvey and the 332nd's story
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