Joint Base Charleston
Patriot
Vol. 3, No. 45
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Relief is on the way 437th AW Airmen provide Hurricane Sandy relief See photos, Page 7 U.S. Air Force photo /Staff Sgt. Rasheen Douglas
1st Lt. Jonathon Lewcyzyk, 16th Airlift Squadron co-pilot, conducts pre-flight checks on the flight deck of C-17 Globemaster III before flying to March Reserve Air Force Base, Calif., Nov. 1, 2012, at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C. The air crew was dispatched to pick up supplies and cadaver teams to assist with the relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy affecting the Northeast. See more photos on Page 7.
INSIDE
Tuskegee Airman shares his story with today’s Airmen
HOMECOMING
By Senior Airman Dennis Sloan Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
17th AS returns home from deployment See page 4
SUSPICIOUS OSI offers new ways to reports See page 6
INDIAN AIR FORCE C-17 training given by Team Charleston See page 11
Weekend Weather Update JB CHS, SC
Friday, November 9
(0% precip)
Sunny
High 69º Low 43º
Saturday, November 10 (0% precip)
Sunny
High 72º Low 49º
Sunday, November 11 Mostly Sunny
(10% precip)
High 75º Low 57º
The faint sounds of an elderly man telling a story from an era long gone filled the 16th Airlift Squadron auditorium Nov. 2, 2012, at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base, S.C.. Retired Lt. Col. Hiram Mann, a former P-51D Mustang fighter pilot with the 332nd Fighter Group during World War II, sat in his wheelchair holding a microphone telling his story of being a Tuskegee Airman. “This is really a treat,” said Lt. Col. Stewart Newton, 16th AS commander. “We are in the presence of a legend. I am completely in awe.” After a brief introduction and a short video which displayed pictures of Tuskegee Airmen and their aircraft, Mann, sitting in his wheelchair, was lifted on stage and handed a microphone. “The first thing I would like to relay to all of you is the original definition of a Tuskegee Airman,” said Mann. “An original Tuskegee Airman, which I was not consulted on, is any male or female, black or white, military or civilian who served at Tuskegee Airfield between 1941 and 1949.” Mann went on to explain that the term Tuskegee Airmen was not used while he served as a fighter pilot. “The term Tuskegee Airmen actually was not coined until 1972,” said Mann. “Some say 27 years after World War II, but I say 27 years too late.” Before Mann could even fly, he had to apply for a commission and that would be no easy task for him. “The first time I applied for a commission I was sent a rejection letter with a very distinct answer of why I would not be able to serve as a pilot,” said Mann. “The letter stated there were no facilities to train Negros, so I went back to being a bell hop – fat, dumb and happy.” Mann would have to apply two more times before receiving an acceptance letter. “I learned a lot from the rejection letters,” said Mann. “I learned that I was going to have to fight tooth and nail for the ability to defend my country as a fighter pilot.” Mann first gained interest in flight when he was very young. He made a small model of an airplane out of balsa wood and flew it around his backyard all day long. “When Lindberg made his historic flight across the Atlantic, I read the newspapers and knew that being a pilot was what I wanted to do,” said Mann. “The first time I touched an aircraft was when I joined the military and was in
U.S. Air Force photos / Airman 1st Class Ashlee Galloway
Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Hiram Mann receives a C-17 tail from Lt. Col. Stew Newton, 16th Airlift Squadron commander, during his visit to the 16th Airlift Squadron Nov. 2, 2012, at Joint Base Charleston - Air Base, S.C. Entering the Army Air Corps as a pre-aviation student in 1942, Mann was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group, the Red Tail Angels, in Italy. He flew the P-40 "Warhawk" and the P-47 "Thunderbolt" fighter-type aircraft, and co-piloted in a B-25 "Billy Mitchell" bomber, a C-47 "Gooney-bird," and a C-45 "Expediter” cargo planes.
training at Tuskegee Airfield.” Mann and all other African American pilots were required to train at Tuskegee Airfield during World War II. “Our instructors were white,” said Mann. “They would hassle us just for being black and would use the excuse that they were preparing us for the stress of war. Fortunately my instructor went easier on our group.” When Mann and his fellow African-American pilots were finished with training, they were given their wings. “As I’m sure all of my fellow pilots in the room know, wearing the silver wings is something not to be taken lightly,” said Mann. “Those wings are a coveted item – they gave me the ability to fly and that is what I loved to do.” Even though Mann was qualified to fly, his unit, the 332nd Fighter Group, was only tasked with reconnaissance missions. “At first, only the white pilots were allowed to fly combat missions,” said Mann. “Rumors were spread discrediting African-American pilots.” The rumors ranged from such falsehoods as
African-American pilots get scared easier during war or that they were less intelligent and less capable of operating aircraft technology. “Our unit was almost shut down and disbanded, but our unit leadership fought for us and we were given the chance to fly combat missions finally,” said Mann. Mann and his fellow 332nd FG pilots would escort bomber groups over Germany and other parts of Europe during World War II. “We flew with the bombers to the target then just before they would drop the bombs we broke away,” said Mann. “Once the bombers had released all of their bombs we would escort them back to the base.” During the course of the war, the Tuskegee Airmen proved to be excellent fighter pilots and even earned the respect of those bomber pilots they were escorting. “Whenever we would run into the bomber pilots we had escorted, they would say thank you and show us appreciation for getting them there and back safe,” said Mann. After World War II, Mann would continue to See Tuskegee Airman, Page 3
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