Born: 30 January 1918, United States
Died: 28 October 2013
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the Arlington National Cemetery. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Allie G. Harshaw, U.S. Air Force (1918–2013) — Allie Harshaw served with the renowned Tuskegee Airmen and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black Women’s Army Corps (WAC) unit to serve overseas during World War II. She graduated from the Tuskegee Institute, a historically Black university, in 1940, and later earned a Ph.D. in Human Behavior from the United States International University at San Diego, California. In 1943, she enlisted in the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) and served as a physical therapy technician with the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military. She then served in the “Six Triple Eight.” Harshaw transferred to the U.S. Air Force after its creation in 1947 and served through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, retiring in 1973. Harshaw was the first Black female Air Force master sergeant to retire with thirty years of military service. In 2007, she received the Congressional Gold Medal for her service with the Tuskegee Airmen. (Section 64, Grave 5494)