Hiram Mann

Lt. Col., US Army (ret.)

Hiram Mann is one of fewer than 500 black pilots who flew combat missions in World War II as a Tuskegee Airman. He was originally rejected from the army for two reasons: he was married (pilots at the time were required to be single) and he only had 1 year of college (flight trainees needed a minimum of 2 years). By 1942, however, the military needed pilots more than it needed to uphold strict academic and marital standards. The Army granted Mann's request. Mann graduated from the TAAF flight program as a single-engine combat fighter pilot in June 1944. He went on to fly several aircrafts, including the P-51 Mustang, P-40 Warhawk and P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes and a C-45 Expediter cargo plane. He retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel with more than 21 years of service. He also eventually earned bachelor's and master's degrees.